Man shot by ICE officers in Maryland released after nearly 9 months in detention
A man shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Maryland last December was released from custody Wednesday after spending nearly nine months in detention, immigrant rights organization We Are CASA announced.
The man, 30-year-old Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, is an undocumented immigrant from Portugal. He was injured in the incident on Christmas Eve when he allegedly tried to flee in a vehicle from ICE agents who had targeted him in an immigration enforcement operation in Glen Burnie.
Sousa-Martins was shot by ICE officers who said that during the encounter, he repeatedly ignored ICE agents' requests to comply with their orders. According to ICE, he had refused to turn his engine off before he rammed the van he was driving into several ICE vehicles and appeared to drive toward officers.
Sousa-Martin was taken to a hospital in stable condition. After his recovery, Sousa-Martin remained in immigration detention.
According to our media partner, The Baltimore Banner, Sousa-Martins was born in Portugal, but has been in the United States since he was 13. He spent his adolescence in Newark, New Jersey. Sousa-Martins earned a general contractor's license and moved to Baltimore, where he bought a home in the city. ICE has said he overstayed his visa, the Banner reported.
CBS News Baltimore has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment, including to seek clarification about whether Sousa-Martins could still be deported.
In April, Sousa-Martins pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of damaging government property in connection with the incident. Charges of resisting, opposing, impeding or interfering with federal officers were dropped after a plea deal regarding the federal charge.
Sousa-Martins was sentenced to time served, which was 103 days, according to the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. He was also ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution.
Immigrant advocacy group We Are CASA said Wednesday in a news release, "After more than eight months of detention, a federal district court judge ordered Tiago Alexandre Sousa Martins' release from ICE custody. Today, he has been released and is finally home with his family."
Alice Barrett is the managing attorney for We Are CASA. She said the release of Sousa-Martins was "the moment Tiago's family has been fighting and praying for: he is home."
"Since Christmas Eve, his children have been without their father and his family has lived with the uncertainty of whether they would be together again," Barrett added. "Today, we celebrate with them. Tiago belongs at home, surrounded by the people who love him."
Sousa-Martins issued his own statement, which thanked We Are CASA for their efforts to help secure his release.
"They stepped in when I needed it most, not only supporting me through my own ordeal but also standing by my family every step of the way," he said, adding, "Today, I can finally say I am free. It was a long and difficult battle, but I'm here to tell you that it is possible. Please, don't ever lose hope. Don't give up."
