ICE Agents Reportedly Ran Over a Man During an Arrest and Crushed His Legs
Trigger warning: This story is brutal.
The Vancouver Police Department has now stepped in and launched an investigation after a video of a man started circulating amongst community members, showing a man being struck by an ICE agent’s vehicle while being arrested. It reportedly shows the man’s legs getting run over by an ICE truck on Thursday.
If community members had not filmed this incident, no investigation would likely’ve even taken place.
The man is named Jose Paniagua Calderón, and he was reportedly detained outside of a Mexican restaurant on East 4th Plain Boulevard. The videos circulating on different social media sites show him screaming in agony, as a silver colored SUV clearly runs over his legs. Viewer discretion is advised, but click HERE if you want to see the video.
Carmen Paniaguam, who is Jose Paniagua’s brother-in-law, said that ICE agents denied him medical care and forced him into their vehicle. She also created a GoFundMe campaign for Jose that you can access HERE.
Carmen also said:
“Since then, our family has been left without clear answers about his condition, location, or whether he received the medical care he desperately needs. We have been searching hospital to hospital and are now fighting to make sure he is safe and treated with dignity.”
The most insane part of this story is that ICE denies agents running over Paniagua’s legs (even though it’s on film) and called his agony an “Oscar-level performance”:
“After ICE officers applied wrist restraints, Paniagua launched into an Oscar-level performance, dramatically screaming while officers simply moved his vehicle off the roadway,” said Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in the written statement. “He walked around normally immediately after without issue and received a full medical evaluation including multiple X-rays that showed ZERO fractures, dislocations or injuries. Pure theatre. No Injury.”
Do you realize how bad it has to be for Vancouver police, a law enforcement entity that is separate from federal forces, to launch an investigation against ICE?
The fact that the Vancouver Police Department, an entirely separate law-enforcement agency, felt compelled to investigate federal ICE agents speaks to how serious and alarming this incident appears to outside observers.
Without bystander footage, this case would likely have been dismissed outright, reinforcing the critical role community documentation plays in holding powerful institutions accountable.
As the investigation continues, it becomes increasingly complex not to question: if this is what ICE does when cameras are involved, what does it do when there aren’t?