{"id":33523,"date":"2026-11-02T19:06:03","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T19:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=33523"},"modified":"2026-11-02T19:06:03","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T19:06:03","slug":"ices-deadly-weaponization-of-vehicles-against-civilians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=33523","title":{"rendered":"ICE\u2019s Deadly Weaponization of Vehicles Against Civilians"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span class=\"has-underline\">As Miguel Parra <\/span>Hernandez, a Mexican national, was fleeing from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement on foot last month, he turned into a parking lot. An unmarked government vehicle came screaming into the lot after him and struck him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When a grand jury in Harris County, Texas, charged the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officer behind the wheel last week, the indictment pointed to a broader pattern in the Trump administration\u2019s crackdown on immigrants and activists. The charge was assault with a deadly weapon; the weapon was the vehicle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Department of Homeland Security, ICE\u2019s parent agency, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/10\/12\/us\/houston-ice-vehicle-strikes-man-wwk\">claimed<\/a> Parra Hernandez ran in front of the government vehicle; <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7.com\/story\/ice-runs-man-agent-caught-surveillance-video-hitting-miguel-parra-hernandez-car-during-chase-shopping-center-harris-county-texas-officials-say\/19930189\/\">surveillance footage<\/a> of the incident shows him running away from the car moments before he is hit. (An attorney for the ICE officer accused of assault against Parra Hernandez <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/houston-ice-charged-parra-hernandez-18d36105004d806c41618b800b70f59c\">told<\/a> The Associated Press his client had not committed any crime.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the same month, an unmarked ICE vehicle speeding the wrong way down a one-way street in Long Beach, California, struck a bicycle ridden by Ricardo Gonzalez, whose daughter later said he was a U.S. citizen. An agent immediately drew their gun on Gonzalez, who was later <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/10\/19\/us\/ice-hospitalization-us-citizen.html\">hospitalized<\/a> for his injuries. The government said the man was not struck, but video released by the New York Times showed the ICE vehicle <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/10\/20\/us\/ice-detain-citizen-california-video-ricardo-gonzalez.html\">swerving into the bicycle<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three days later after the collision in Long Beach, Antonio Moreida stood in the street in Woodland, California, outside Sacramento, documenting an unmarked ICE vehicle when the black Chevy Tahoe accelerated toward him. When the SUV hit him, Moreida told a meeting at Woodland City Hall last week, he was knocked to the ground \u2014 and the driver of the Tahoe did not stop to check on him. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Department of Homeland Security said Moreida jumped onto the hood of the unmarked car, but when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/sacramento\/news\/woodland-police-dispute-dhs-account-ice-collision\/\">video of the incident<\/a> showed him standing in place, local police and the mayor publicly disputed ICE\u2019s account.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<!-- BLOCK(oembed)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22OEMBED%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22EMBED%22%7D)(%7B%22embedHtml%22%3A%22%3Ciframe%20title%3D%5C%22Offensive%20Driving%3A%20ICE%5Cu2019s%20Deadly%20Weaponization%20of%20Vehicles%20Against%20Civilians%5C%22%20width%3D%5C%221200%5C%22%20height%3D%5C%22675%5C%22%20src%3D%5C%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.youtube.com%5C%2Fembed%5C%2FbSJygwbCJTw%3Ffeature%3Doembed%5C%22%20frameborder%3D%5C%220%5C%22%20allow%3D%5C%22accelerometer%3B%20autoplay%3B%20clipboard-write%3B%20encrypted-media%3B%20gyroscope%3B%20picture-in-picture%3B%20web-share%5C%22%20referrerpolicy%3D%5C%22strict-origin-when-cross-origin%5C%22%20allowfullscreen%3E%3C%5C%2Fiframe%3E%22%2C%22endpoint%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fwww.youtube.com%5C%2Foembed%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22unknown%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%5C%2F%5C%2Fyoutu.be%5C%2FbSJygwbCJTw%22%7D) --><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Offensive Driving: ICE\u2019s Deadly Weaponization of Vehicles Against Civilians\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bSJygwbCJTw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><!-- END-BLOCK(oembed)[0] -->\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-weaponized-vehicles\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Weaponized Vehicles<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the national conversation about ICE\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2026\/07\/24\/trump-ice-deaths-mass-deportation\/\">heavy-handed crackdown<\/a> on immigrants across the country, much has been made of the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s claims that immigrants and activists \u201cweaponized\u201d their vehicles against federal agents. After immigration officers shot and killed <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2026\/07\/14\/ice-shootings-maine-houston\/\">Lorenzo Salgado Araujo<\/a>, who was targeted by ICE, and community defender <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2026\/01\/08\/ice-minneapolis-video-killing-shooting\/\">Ren\u00e9e Good<\/a> in separate incidents, the government said the civilians had used their cars to attack agents \u2014 allegations that have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/ng-interactive\/2026\/jul\/22\/ice-claim-immigrants-weaponize-vehicles\">not been borne out in criminal charges<\/a>, or were called into question by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/immigration\/2026\/07\/10\/migrants-who-saw-man-killed-by-ice-houston-say-he-did-not-ram-officers\/\">witness accounts<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video\/us\/100000010648638\/ice-shooting-renee-good-minneapolis-videos-analysis.html\">video analysis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What happened to Parra Hernandez, Gonzalez, and Moreida, however, was the opposite of what the government said about Good and Salgado Araujo: It was ICE agents who weaponized their vehicles against civilians.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the Trump administration ramped up deportations over the last year, federal agents have effectively turned their cars into massive, deadly blunt objects. Common tactics, known collectively as \u201coffensive driving techniques,\u201d include ramming the cars of immigrant targets and activists; \u201cbrake-checking\u201d volunteers trying to observe ICE activity; and, in some cases, outright driving into civilians. The Intercept reviewed two dozen cases of ICE using vehicles against civilians in these ways, including multiple incidents where victims were hospitalized or even died from their injuries.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cVehicles are another tool ICE agents are using with unchecked force, just like their guns, Tasers, and pepper spray.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVehicles are another tool ICE agents are using with unchecked force, just like their guns, Tasers, and pepper spray,\u201d said Hannah Stauss, co-director of Hands Off NYC, a group that opposes ICE\u2019s presence in New York City. \u201cICE\u2019s deranged use of vehicles effectively weaponizes them against our immigrant neighbors and rapid responders, and will continue to kill people. We are witnessing in real time the results of a federal agency being allowed to operate with impunity, in secrecy, and with unfettered violence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement to The Intercept that compiled past responses to the incidents in this article, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said, \u201cICE is instituting additional training including, crowd control measures, additional training for high-risk vehicle stops, a live-fire cover course for officer safety, and medical training.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The spokesperson did not respond specifically to allegations about the incident involved Parra Hernandez; said Gonzalez was not struck by an ICE car; and blamed Moreida for the accident because he was in the roadway.<\/p>\n<p><!-- END-BLOCK(cta)[0] --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-offensive-driving-techniques\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cOffensive Driving Techniques\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In federal policies and memos, the maneuvers used in the incidents reviewed by The Intercept, along with testimony from rapid responders, are referred to by federal agents as \u201coffensive driving techniques.\u201d They are part of a wider patten of aggressive driving by law enforcement officers across the country, but especially by federal agents with <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/07\/12\/ice-violence-deaths-jaime-alanis\/\">little accountability<\/a> and nearly blanket backing from the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last October, Leo Martinez was monitoring immigrations agents\u2019 activity as a volunteer with <a href=\"https:\/\/vcdefensa.org\/\">VC Defensa<\/a>, a community defense group in Ventura County, California, when an unmarked ICE car <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/m6jeWa0Hl0c\">rammed his pickup truck<\/a>. ICE agents arrested Martinez and later released him without charge.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In March, they did it again: Three unmarked government vehicles <a href=\"https:\/\/lataco.com\/ice-rams-vehicle-again\">rammed Martinez\u2019s car<\/a> as he sought to reverse away from them. The federal agents broke his window and dragged him out. Martinez, who was hospitalized from his injuries, was again released without charge. (The Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not respond specifically to questions about the incidents involving Martinez.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey run stop signs, red lights, they\u2019ll cut off complete intersections, and they rarely turn on their lights,\u201d Martinez told The Intercept. \u201cThey\u2019ll slam on their brakes in the middle of the freeway, in the middle of the street. Sometimes they\u2019ll do sudden U-turns in the middle of nowhere and cut off traffic in both directions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When activists are monitoring federal agents, one of the most common ways for ICE to leverage their vehicles as physical threats is the \u201cbrake check,\u201d a move where a car suddenly breaks to cause the car behind it to slow down \u2014\u00a0or slam into its rear bumper.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBrake-checking\u201d doesn\u2019t appear in official guidelines as an \u201coffensive driving technique\u201d with good reason: It is considered to be illegal in all 50 states, covered by various statutes like reckless driving or other anti-road-rage laws. Yet VC Defensa volunteers, who like Martinez monitor ICE activity, said that when they follow ICE vehicles to alert the community with horn-honking, they keep a distance of two to three car lengths because federal agents so frequently brake-check volunteers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-embed flex-col items-center print:hidden\" id=\"third-party--article-mid\" data-module=\"InlineNewsletter\" data-module-source=\"web_intercept_20241230_Inline_Signup_Replacement\">\n<div class=\"-mx-5 sm:-mx-10 p-5 sm:px-10 xl:-ml-5 lg:mr-0 xl:px-5 bg-accentLight hidden\" data-name=\"subscribed\">\n<h2 class=\"font-sans font-light uppercase text-[30px] leading-8 text-white tracking-[0.01em] mb-0\">\n      We\u2019re independent of corporate interests \u2014 and powered by members. Join us.    <\/h2>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/join.theintercept.com\/donate\/now\/?referrer_post_id=526643&amp;referrer_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheintercept.com%2F2026%2F11%2F02%2Fice-vehicles-cars-hit-weapon%2F&amp;source=web_intercept_20241230_Inline_Signup_Replacement\" class=\"border border-white !text-white font-mono uppercase p-5 inline-flex items-center gap-3 hover:bg-white hover:!text-accentLight focus:bg-white focus:!text-accentLight\" data-name=\"donateCTA\" data-action=\"handleDonate\"><br \/>\n      Become a member      <span class=\"font-icons icon-TI_Arrow_02_Right\"\/><br \/>\n    <\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<div class=\"group default w-full px-5 hidden\" data-name=\"unsubscribed\">\n<div class=\"px-5 border-[10px] border-accentLight\">\n<div class=\"bg-white -my-2.5 relative block px-4 md:px-5\">\n<h2 class=\"font-sans font-body text-[30px] font-bold tracking-[0.01em] leading-8 mb-0 xl:text-[37px] xl:leading-[39px]\">\n          <span class=\"group-[.subscribed]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Join Our Newsletter          <\/span><br \/>\n          <span class=\"group-[.default]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Thank You For Joining!          <\/span><br \/>\n        <\/h2>\n<p class=\"text-[27px] mb-3.5 font-bold text-accentLight tracking-[0.01em] leading-[29px] font-sans xl:text-[37px] xl:leading-[39px]\">\n          <span class=\"group-[.subscribed]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Original reporting. Fearless journalism. Delivered to you.          <\/span><br \/>\n          <span class=\"group-[.default]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Will you take the next step to support our independent journalism by becoming a member of The Intercept?          <\/span>\n        <\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/join.theintercept.com\/donate\/now\/?referrer_post_id=526643&amp;referrer_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheintercept.com%2F2026%2F11%2F02%2Fice-vehicles-cars-hit-weapon%2F&amp;source=web_intercept_20241230_Inline_Signup_Replacement\" class=\"group-[.default]:hidden border border-accentLight text-accentLight font-sans px-5 py-3.5 inline-flex items-center gap-3 text-[20px] font-bold\" data-action=\"handleDonate\"><br \/>\n          Become a member          <span class=\"font-icons icon-TI_Arrow_02_Right\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"font-sans text-accentLight text-[10px] leading-[13px] text-balance [&amp;_a]:text-accentLight [&amp;_a]:font-bold [&amp;_a:hover]:underline group-[.subscribed]:hidden\">\n<p>By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/privacy-policy\/\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/terms-use\/\">Terms of Use<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END-BLOCK(newsletter)[0] --><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Federal agents use \u201coffensive driving techniques\u201d so often in Ventura County that VC Defensa volunteers sometimes identify the unmarked cars by the body damage that characterizes them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Customs and Border Protection, another agency that, like ICE, is under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kpbs.org\/news\/national\/2026\/02\/25\/crashes-raise-concerns-about-pursuit-rules-for-immigration-agents\">expanded its agents\u2019 discretion<\/a> and ability to use these techniques during abduction operations after President Donald Trump took office for a second term.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A previous 2023 Customs and Border Protection pursuit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbp.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/assets\/documents\/2023-Jan\/cbp-directive-4510-026A_0.pdf\">policy<\/a> largely prohibited officers from boxing in vehicles or making vehicle contact with another vehicle in motion. A partially redacted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbp.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-12\/intc-44545_-_cbp_directive_no._4510-026b_usbp_redacted.pdf\">2025 CBP directive<\/a> gives officers broader discretion to use offensive driving techniques and ignore traffic laws.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cMost federal agencies are not well trained in police-citizen interactions, traffic stops, and pursuits.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMost federal agencies are not well trained in police-citizen interactions, traffic stops, and pursuits,\u201d said Geoffrey Alpert, a criminology and criminal justice professor at the University of South Carolina who helped Customs and Border Protection rewrite their car-chase policy under the Biden and Obama administrations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In December, ICE agents in Elgin, Illinois, chased a Venezuelan man until his car and the ICE vehicles crashed. State investigators <a href=\"https:\/\/ilac.illinois.gov\/content\/dam\/soi\/en\/web\/ilac\/documents\/final-report\/inv-briefs\/IAC-Elgin-Investigation-Brief-r.pdf\">found<\/a> the ICE agents likely conducted an \u201cunskilled precious immobilization technique (\u2018PIT maneuver\u2019) and lost control of the vehicle.\u201d (The Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the target of the raid rammed an ICE vehicle into a tree.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In January, Christian Molina, a U.S. citizen, was preparing to pull over for an ICE traffic stop in Minneapolis when the <a href=\"https:\/\/sahanjournal.com\/public-safety\/ice-rams-latino-man-car-south-minneapolis-immigration\/\">agents rammed the back of his car<\/a>, injuring his back. The agents said they would pay for the damage, but left without providing contact information. (The Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not respond specifically to questions about the incident involving Molina.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In June, agents conducted a high-speed chase through a residential neighborhood of Chicago, blowing through intersections until finally ramming their target\u2019s car. (The Department of Homeland Security spokesperson blamed the target of the immigration enforcement action for the accident because he fled from ICE.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s disheartening to see some sort of federal agents or law enforcement driving so aggressively in a residential area,\u201d one neighbor <a href=\"https:\/\/blockclubchicago.org\/2026\/06\/09\/immigration-agents-crash-into-car-detain-man-in-dunning-neighbor-says\/\">told Block Club Chicago<\/a>. \u201cI have a kid who\u2019s two and we go out for walks all the time. We could have been crossing the street when they came through the intersection.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-high-speed-chases\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>High-Speed Chases<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the killings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2026\/07\/17\/democrats-congress-abolish-ice-killings\/\">Johan Sebasti\u00e1n Dur\u00e1n Guerrero<\/a> in July, the Department of Homeland Security ordered a <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2026\/07\/14\/ice-order-vehicle-stops-killings-shootings\/\">temporary halt to traffic stops<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The day the directive was issued, ICE chased a group of roofers in Texas, blowing through a stop sign and over a speed bump without sirens. A mother driving her son to the theater was forced to swerve into a ditch to avoid a collision.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey speeded right next to me,\u201d the mother told the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasobserver.org\/ice-car-chase-gun-citizen-south-texas\/\">Texas Observer<\/a>. \u201cThey hit the speed bump so bad that, when they got in front of me at high speed, I had to go to the right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If she had not swerved, she said, \u201cthey would have hit me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of these car chases have turned deadly\u00a0in the very places where local police are restricted from chasing suspects because of the attendant dangers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In February, agents <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ice-chase-teacher-killed-savannah-eae63c1bd09403414536a9c01a026947\">undertook a high-speed chase<\/a> in pursuit of Oscar Vasquez Lopez outside of Savannah, Georgia. Vasquez Lopez\u2019s car struck a teacher, killing her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Savannah Police Department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsav.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/75\/2025\/03\/OPS-011-Vehicle-Pursuits-03.22.23.pdf\">only allows pursuits<\/a> when the suspect has committed or is attempting to commit a forcible felony, and the risk of not capturing someone outweighs the risk of the chase. Vasquez Lopez had no criminal record, only a civil deportation order from 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/news\/newark-new-jersey-ice-car-crash\/\">immigration<\/a> car <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/middlesex\/2026\/09\/car-flees-from-ice-agents-causing-crash-involving-wife-of-local-mayor-in-nj-town-officials-say.html\">chases<\/a> in New Jersey, where police face similar <a href=\"https:\/\/nochaselaw.com\/states\/new-jersey\/\">restrictions<\/a> at the statewide level, resulted in hospitalizations. (In the Texas case, the Georgia case, and the New Jersey case, the Department of Homeland Security spokesperson blamed the target of the immigration actions for causing unsafe conditions by fleeing.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey are not required to follow local agency policies (the same as other agencies), but they must be held responsible for their actions under state and federal law,\u201d Alpert, the criminology professor, said. \u201cThe failure to evaluate these behaviors in a full, complete and transparent manner leaves us all in the dark.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this month, the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ice-officers-car-chases-vehicle-stops-training-ded50fcee99efab90e55e580250ba2ab\">AP reported<\/a> on an internal memo to ICE\u2019s Enforcement and Removal Operations division that banned agents from conducting high-speed car chases. The directive still allows trained agents to make traffic stops and undertake offensive driving maneuvers.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"promote-banner\">\n    <a class=\"promote-banner__link\" href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/collections\/the-war-on-immigrants\/\"><br \/><span class=\"promote-banner__image\"><br \/><img width=\"300\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/guatemalan-immigrant-cpb-feat-1530033149.jpg?fit=300%2C150\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"MCALLEN, TX - JUNE 23: A Guatemalan father and his daughter arrives with dozens of other women, men and their children at a bus station following release from Customs and Border Protection on June 23, 2018 in McAllen, Texas. Once families and individuals are released and given a court hearing date they are brought to the Catholic Charities Humanitarian Respite Center to rest, clean up, enjoy a meal and to get guidance to their next destination. Before President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday that halts the practice of separating families who are seeking asylum, over 2,300 immigrant children had been separated from their parents in the zero-tolerance policy for border crossers (Photo by Spencer Platt\/Getty Images)\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/guatemalan-immigrant-cpb-feat-1530033149.jpg?w=2270 2270w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/guatemalan-immigrant-cpb-feat-1530033149.jpg?w=300 300w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/guatemalan-immigrant-cpb-feat-1530033149.jpg?w=768 768w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/guatemalan-immigrant-cpb-feat-1530033149.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/guatemalan-immigrant-cpb-feat-1530033149.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/guatemalan-immigrant-cpb-feat-1530033149.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/guatemalan-immigrant-cpb-feat-1530033149.jpg?w=540 540w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/guatemalan-immigrant-cpb-feat-1530033149.jpg?w=1000 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\"\/>        <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"promote-banner__text\">\n<p class=\"promote-banner__eyebrow\">\n            Read Our Complete Coverage          <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><br \/><\/aside>\n<h2 id=\"h-ramming-pedestrians\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Ramming Pedestrians<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ICE agents\u2019 vehicles are not just recklessly pursuing and ramming vehicles driven by who they thought were targets for immigration enforcement. In multiple filmed interactions, agents have driven into pedestrian rapid responders and protesters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Woodland, California, ICE agents crashed into Moreida as he sought to collect their license plate information. After a major workplace raid in Los Angeles in June 2025, a news helicopter <a href=\"https:\/\/ktla.com\/news\/california\/protesters-clash-ice-agents\/\">filmed the moment<\/a> a protester walked in front of several ICE vehicles. One slowly sped up until it knocked him to the ground.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s a disproportionate use of force. An individual is not going to win a fight with a vehicle,\u201d Alpert, the criminology professor, said. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen any state or local law enforcement ever use a vehicle properly to hit or to run into a civilian.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In other incidents, federal agents have weaponized their vehicles against crowds of activists. (Asked about the protests incidents mentioned in this article, the Department of Homeland Security spokesperson blamed \u201canti-ICE agitators.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the aftermath of an <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2026\/10\/08\/ice-nyc-shooting-federal-agent\/\">ICE shooting<\/a> this month in the New York City neighborhood of Marble Hill, immigration agents were seeking to move a man with a gunshot wound \u2014 whose car, with his 5-year-old son in the back, smashed into a concrete barrier during the incident \u2014 from a hospital to a detention facility. As government vehicles left the hospital in a speeding caravan, a bicycle was nearly hit by an federal agent in a black vehicle, which honked its horn, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DeQmXW_ALHm\/\">video<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DeQmXW_ALHm\/\">incident<\/a>. In another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DeQXwdYN73Y\/\">social media post<\/a>, an ICE agent in an unmarked vehicle continued driving even with six protesters walking in front of it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In July 2025, in San Francisco, after ICE clashed with protesters while moving detainees from the immigration courthouse to unmarked vehicles, several protesters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=M9LxNM4FCnQ\">clung to the hood<\/a> of the car until they were physically thrown off when the vehicle sharply accelerated.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt is honestly only a matter of time until an ICE agent seriously injuries or kills a cyclist or pedestrian in New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI absolutely worry about ICE agents hurting people or killing people with these aggressive driving maneuvers,\u201d said a New York rapid responder. \u201cIn order to avoid having their movements in vehicles documented, ICE agents will dramatically accelerate far beyond safe speeds for a dense urban environment like New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The organizer, who requested anonymity to avoid retaliation from the government, reported that agents drive at high speeds into oncoming traffic, run red lights, and abruptly turn without signaling. They rarely use emergency lights or sirens. These tactics align with the pattern of behavior described by Martinez in California \u2014\u00a0but in a city where rapid responders and neighbors are more often on foot or riding bicycles, not in their own vehicles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When ICE agents brought a detainee to a Brooklyn hospital after a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecityreporter.nyc\/2026\/05\/04\/video-ice-agent-tasing-man-wyckoff-brooklyn-hospital\/\">violent arrest<\/a> in May, hundreds protested outside the hospital. One TikTok video from the night captured the moment an unmarked ICE vehicle <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@leo_and_dessy\/video\/7635665131262856462?\">drove into<\/a> several gathered people, accelerating sharply until they leapt out of the way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGiven the frequency with which these agents are engaging in aggressive maneuvers to try and lose rapid responders or prevent documentation of their movements,\u201d the organizer said, \u201cit is honestly only a matter of time until an ICE agent seriously injuries or kills a cyclist or pedestrian in New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>#ICEs #Deadly #Weaponization #Vehicles #Civilians<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Miguel Parra Hernandez, a M&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[246],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33523"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}