America has imprisoned journalists before. It has even killed them. But what has happened to Parias is something different: A journalist was injured while documenting government power, shot during an attempt to arrest him, prosecuted, repeatedly denied medical care — and then left in immigration detention, where he has continued documenting the conditions around him.

The government's powers to enforce immigration laws and prosecute crimes do not erase the First Amendment. Journalists don't surrender their rights because they lack immigration status. And the government can't make a journalist disappear simply by locking him in a cell.

At some point, the question stops being what else will happen to Parias. It becomes what America is willing to let happen to a journalist.

For more information, either visit the article directly or view the post with quotes in !crimes_of_ice@lemmy.4d2.org

https://lemmy.4d2.org/post/4725660

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] LemmyUser0909@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/illegal-alien-mexico-charged-using-his-car-assault-federal-agents-attempting-arrest

For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California

LOS ANGELES – A Mexican national living illegally in the United States was charged today in a federal criminal complaint with ramming law enforcement vehicles in an attempt to dislodge his car during an immigration arrest, in an incident in which both defendant and a deputy U.S. marshal were shot and injured.

Carlitos Ricardo Parias, 44, of South Los Angeles, is charged with assault on a federal officer.

Parias is expected to make his initial appearance tomorrow in United States District Court in Los Angeles.

"A vehicle is a deadly weapon,” said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “If it is used against federal agents, not only will you face years in federal prison, but you also face the possibility of deadly force being used against you. We will continue to use every tool in our legal arsenal to protect our agents enforcing immigration laws enacted by Congress.”

According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, on Tuesday morning, federal agents set up surveillance on a block in the Historic South-Central area of South Los Angeles. Parias was the subject of an administrative immigration arrest warrant and had avoided capture before. Agents saw Parias leave a home and enter a gray Toyota Camry and drive eastbound down a street.

Law enforcement then drove and positioned a vehicle to prevent Parias from driving further east. Parias apparently recognized that vehicle as law enforcement then quickly reversed the Camry. As the Camry reversed, two other law enforcement vehicles approached it and prevented its further travel. The three law enforcement vehicles boxed in the Camry, leaving it with no reasonable means of escape.

Once the Camry was boxed in, federal agents approached it and gave Parias orders to exit the car and submit to arrest. Parias ignored those commands and drove the Camry both forward and back, hitting two of the law enforcement vehicles.

Given Parias’s continued refusal to comply with agents’ orders, an agent attempted to break the Camry’s driver’s side window. Parias still refused to submit to arrest, and then drove the Camry more aggressively, forwards towards one law enforcement vehicle. Parias’s aggressive driving escalated to the point that large plumes of smoke formed around the Camry, apparently caused by the spinning of the car’s tires.

Not only was the Camry accelerating aggressively forward, but the rear of the car began to fishtail, which caused the agents to fear that Parias might lose control of the Camry and hit them. Parias’s aggressive acceleration of the Camry also caused debris (likely rubber being shed from the tires themselves) to fly into the air, which struck some of the agents.

All these factors, including the large amount of smoke produced by the spinning of the Camry’s tires, caused the agents on scene to fear that Parias would successfully dislodge the Camry from between the Durango and Ram and injure them.

Related to this case, during today’s arrest a federal agent opened fire, wounding Parias and a deputy marshal, who was struck by a ricochet bullet. Both Parias and the deputy marshal are expected to recover.

A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

If convicted, Parias would face a statutory maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison.

Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI are investigating this matter, with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case. Contact

Ciaran McEvoy Public Information Officer ciaran.mcevoy@usdoj.gov (213) 894-4465 Updated November 7, 2025