28-year-old Ecuadorian national Byron Martinez had been living in Grand Rapids for the past two years when he was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on February 3rd. Since then, he’s been held at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan.
“He’s got no criminal background except he entered the United States without permission and immediately rectified that.”
That’s Richard Kessler, Martinez’s lawyer. He, along with members of Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE want Martinez released and his arrest investigated for use of unreasonable force. Video shot during his arrest shows Martinez face down in the snow being zip-tied by ICE and ATF officials, with Grand Rapids police officers providing crowd control. Jeff Smith with GR Rapid Response to ICE says GRPD is actively assisting federal agents.
“The incident with Byron is just one of many examples where the GRPD is directly assisting and collaborating with ICE in this community to harass and arrest people who live in this community.”
In a statement, GRPD wrote, “GRPD responded to provide crowd control at the request of a federal agency (not ICE) making an arrest. We provided aid to create safety and order for all involved parties and bystanders. As per policy, GRPD did not coordinate, participate, or otherwise involve themselves with the mission of the federal agency, nor aid in the apprehension of the suspect.”
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