On the death of Dr. Linda Davis
WATCH: Lynn Tramonte at the Cleveland City Club’s “Happy Dog Takes on ICE” forum, talking about ICE’s tactics that endanger the public
Following is a statement from Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, about the ICE-caused death of Dr. Linda Davis in Chatham County, Georgia.
Picture this. You are driving down the road when an unmarked car turns on police lights and starts to chase you. What do you do? As a teenager learning how to drive, I was taught that you do not stop. It’s an instinct anyone would follow. You don’t automatically assume it is the police; they’re not in a police car. Fear kicks in, as you think they may be someone dangerous, attempting to harm you.
ICE killed Dr. Linda Davis in Chatham County, Georgia. An immigrant, Oscar Vasquez Lopez, has been charged with the crime, but the simple truth is that immigration agents carried out a reckless law enforcement action that caused Dr. Davis’ death. And it didn’t need to happen. Today, a family, school, and community are mourning the untimely death of someone who “dedicated her career to ensuring that every child felt supported, valued, and capable of success,” according to her school’s principal, Alonna McMullen.
We’re talking about the enforcement of civil laws. Oscar Vasquez Lopez has a deportation order issued by a judge in a civil court. Police chases like the one ICE used to apprehend him are extremely dangerous to the public. That is why local law enforcement have criticized ICE, and are told not to engage in these types of tactics unless public safety calls for it — for example, if a suspect flees a murder scene and remains armed.
Imagine if IRS agents were given guns, masks, and unmarked vehicles, and allowed to pursue people who didn’t pay their taxes in high speed car chases. It doesn’t happen, because it shouldn’t. Civil laws are enforced in courtrooms and office buildings, not the streets of our communities.
Local police were not notified ahead of time about ICE’s enforcement actions in Chatham County. According to WTOC News, they and other community members are criticizing the federal government for causing this crash. Wrote Savannah Alderman Alicia Miller Blakely, “IF THE CHASE WAS NOT ENSUED THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED!!!! TEARS FOR THE FAMILY!!!!
Paperwork violations are not the same thing as murder. You don’t use tactics that endanger the public to enforce them. And Dr. Davis’ death is not the first that ICE caused this way. In Virginia, Josué Castro Rivera was struck by a vehicle and died after being pursued by ICE. In Columbus, Ohio during Operation Buckeye, ICE caused a car crash while pursuing a random person they believed to be undocumented. Miraculously, no pedestrians were hurt. Again, ICE was using unmarked vehicles to chase people on public streets. Again, any driver’s first instinct would be to run, not stop and wait to be attacked by someone who could be a criminal.
Testifying before the Columbus City Council yesterday, I talked about the chaotic and violent tactics ICE uses to carry out "civil" arrests. ICE is using the tools of criminals to stalk people while driving or going about their daily lives. ICE is putting the public at risk by behaving this way. People navigating U.S. immigration laws deserve a chance to fix their status — not to be chased by masked agents in unmarked cars, carrying guns. Civil law enforcement should be carried out in a civil way. What ICE is doing is dangerous for everyone. The agency must be abolished.
Resource
To learn how civil immigration law enforcement could be reformed to align with the way other administrative law matters are handled, see Peter L. Markowitz’ paper for the Center for American Progress, “A New Paradigm for Humane and Effective Immigration Enforcement.”
