A man was shot by ICE officers in Anne Arundel County amid escalating tensions around immigration enforcement.
GLEN BURNIE, Md. — A man was shot and wounded in Anne Arundel County after police say he attempted to run over a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer during an enforcement operation on Christmas Eve.
The Department of Homeland Security said ICE officers approached a white van in the Glen Burnie area and instructed the driver to turn off the engine. Instead, authorities say the situation escalated and the driver accelerated toward officers.
“Based on the preliminary information we received, ICE agents were conducting a detail when they approached a white van,” said Justin Mulcahy, executive assistant and director of external affairs for the department.
Police said officers opened fire after the driver attempted to strike them, hitting the man behind the wheel. The vehicle ultimately came to rest in a wooded area near homes along West Court.
“The vehicle accelerated and ultimately came to rest behind me, in a wooded area near these homes,” Mulcahy said.
The driver was taken to the hospital and is listed in stable condition. A passenger inside the van was also injured. No officers were seriously hurt, and Anne Arundel County police said none of their officers were involved in the shooting.
ICE officials said the driver is an undocumented immigrant from Portugal. The passenger, who was also undocumented, is from El Salvador. Photos released by authorities show visible damage to the white van left at the scene.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said officers fired their weapons because they were “fearing for their lives and public safety.” Officials emphasized that the investigation is ongoing.
“Those are the basic details we have right now — again, it’s still very early in this investigation,” Mulcahy said.
The incident comes as immigration enforcement activity continues to increase nationwide amid a federal surge in arrests and deportations. DHS has recently described the past year as a “historic” one for immigration enforcement, citing the removal of what it calls dangerous criminal offenders.
However, advocates and families affected by deportations say their experiences do not always align with that characterization. WUSA9 has reported on multiple cases involving people deported after living in the region for years.
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Laura Martinez said her mother, a custodian in Stafford County, was detained by ICE during a routine check-in. Martinez said her mother was enrolled in ICE’s Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, which requires frequent reporting to the agency.
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“It’s not fair how she was treated — or how any of them are treated,” Martinez said.
As the year comes to a close, families impacted by immigration enforcement say they are still waiting for answers, with no clear timeline for when — or if — they will be reunited with detained loved ones.
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