• Department of Homeland Security acknowledges inaccuracies in Christmas Eve incident statement
• Anne Arundel County Police disputed federal claim about injured passenger’s location
• Discrepancy centers on whether man was in van or already in ICE custody during Glen Burnie shooting

GLEN BURNIE, MD (TDR) — Federal immigration authorities backtracked Friday on their public account of a Christmas Eve shooting in Maryland after local law enforcement contradicted key details about where one injured man was located during the incident. The revision by the Department of Homeland Security came in response to a statement from Anne Arundel County Police that directly disputed the federal agency’s narrative.

Initial Federal Account Disputed

DHS had maintained for more than two weeks that Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel was seated in the passenger seat of a van driven by Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers opened fire Dec. 24 in Glen Burnie. According to the initial federal account, Serrano-Esquivel suffered whiplash when Sousa-Martins crashed the van into a tree after being shot.

However, Anne Arundel County Police released a statement Thursday confirming reporting by The Baltimore Banner that Serrano-Esquivel was already in ICE custody inside a separate federal vehicle when the shooting occurred. County police spokesperson Justin Mulcahy said one ICE detainee was already in custody in an ICE vehicle while the other individual was struck by gunfire operating a separate vehicle.

Federal Agency Walks Back Claims

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DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin acknowledged Friday that Serrano-Esquivel was indeed in ICE custody at the time of the incident. McLaughlin told the Baltimore Sun that Serrano-Esquivel was inside “one of the ICE vehicles that was rammed” when Sousa-Martins allegedly attempted to flee.

The revision raises questions about why a detainee already in custody was present during additional enforcement operations. According to The Baltimore Banner, an attorney for Serrano-Esquivel said his client was arrested hours earlier in Southern Maryland and was injured when the ICE vehicle transporting him crashed because his hands were cuffed, preventing him from bracing himself.

“Once the individuals are in custody, the focus is getting them safely to the destination, which generally precludes officers becoming involved in other matters while en route.”

Ashley Heiberger, a retired Pennsylvania police captain frequently retained as a law enforcement practices expert, told The Banner that driving around with a handcuffed detainee while looking for other people to arrest would appear to run afoul of commonly accepted law enforcement practices.

What Federal Officials Still Maintain

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DHS continues to assert that ICE officers were conducting a targeted immigration enforcement operation when they approached the van driven by Sousa-Martins and instructed him to turn off the engine. According to federal authorities, Sousa-Martins refused and attempted to flee, ramming his vehicle into several ICE vehicles before driving directly at officers.

Three ICE agents opened fire in what they described as self-defense, striking Sousa-Martins. The Portuguese national, who had been living in the United States on an expired visa that lapsed in 2009, was taken to a hospital and treated. He is currently being held at a detention facility in Bowling Green, Virginia, according to ICE’s detainee locator website.

Pattern of Conflicting Accounts

The Maryland incident is one of more than a dozen ICE shootings during President Donald Trump’s second term, according to media reports and court records. The discrepancy emerged amid heightened scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement tactics following similar incidents.

On Wednesday, Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis after federal officials claimed she attempted to run over agents. Video footage of that incident prompted widespread protests and led local officials to dispute the federal account. A similar shooting occurred Thursday in Portland, Oregon, where DHS claimed a driver attempted to “weaponize” his vehicle against officers.

Anne Arundel County Councilwoman Allison Pickard (D-District 2), who represents the Glen Burnie area, has emphasized the importance of body-worn cameras for federal agents operating in her community. “In Anne Arundel County, we have implemented our police body-worn camera program,” Pickard told WBAL-TV. “I have concerns that federal ICE agents are not in our community with the same kind of equipment or technology.”

Ongoing Investigations

Multiple agencies are investigating different aspects of the Glen Burnie incident. Anne Arundel County Police are handling the shooting investigation, while the FBI is examining the alleged assault on ICE agents. ICE is conducting an internal review through its Office of Professional Responsibility.

Anne Arundel County Police clarified in their statement that county officers do not enforce immigration law, do not conduct immigration enforcement operations with ICE, and do not ask about anyone’s immigration status. “We serve all who choose Anne Arundel County as their home, workplace or simply the place where they prefer to spend time,” the department stated.

County police have interviewed both Sousa-Martins and Serrano-Esquivel, potentially the only witnesses to the encounter who do not work for ICE. Both men, whom federal officials said were in the country illegally, were transferred to ICE detention facilities after being released from the hospital.

As federal immigration enforcement expands and conflicting accounts emerge from multiple incidents, how can local communities ensure accurate public information and proper oversight of federal operations?

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