According to an exclusive report from Univision, rather than immediately providing medical assistance to a Latino bicyclist who had just been hit by a pickup truck, a Florida sheriff callously badgered the Honduran immigrant about his legal status, the start of a series of events that eventually led to the immigrant man being arrested by Border Patrol. Police are supposed to provide assistance to all members of the public, no matter their immigration status. But the only message local law enforcement is sending here is that calling them, even in a moment of crisis or violence, could just lead to their deportation:
Marcos Antonio Huete, a 31-year-old Honduran immigrant, was lying on a sidewalk next to his bicycle after being hit April 27 by a GMC Sierra pickup truck on his way to work in Key West in the Florida Keys.
"You illegal? Are you a legal citizen or no? Speak English? You got ID? Passport, visa, or what? a Monroe County sheriff asked Huete insistently, according to the video.
Still on the ground, Huete answers with monosyllables before using a cell phone to call his sister, who arrived at the scene soon after.
According to Univision, an ambulance was called only after a second officer asked Huete—who was sprawled out on the sidewalk—in Spanish if he needed medical care. But to add insult to injury, Huete was told by an officer after he was released from the hospital on crutches that he had to return to the scene of the incident, where he was not only “fined $75 by a Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles officer for causing the accident,” but was also arrested by Border Patrol. Huete now faces possible deportation.
"The moment these agents become the mass deportation force of President Trump will be the end of any cooperation between immigrant communities in the United States and the local police," said Howard Simon, executive director of the Florida chapter of the ACLU.
Tuesday, May 30, 2017 · 3:41:40 PM +00:00
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Gabe Ortiz
Tom Perez, DNC Chair, released a powerful statement condemning the Florida event: “This horrific incident demonstrates the sick culture the Trump Administration is fostering that undermines the relationship between polices and communities. Trump’s inflammatory words have made a select few feel as though they have license to abdicate their duties to the communities they serve and forgo human decency. The Trump Administration’s crusade against immigrants, and Latinos in particular, is making our communities less safe. It tears at the very fabric of our communities and erodes the American culture of opportunity. Simply put, this is not who we are as a nation.”
[Sister] Olga Huete says that while they don't have papers, she is outraged by what she called the lack of justice in blaming her brother after he was the victim. She said the woman driving the pickup was allowed to drive away "as if it was nothing."
"The fact that we do not have papers does not mean that we do not have rights," she said.
In a statement to Univision, the Border Patrol said that FHP communicated with its agents "to assist in the identification of the subject (Huete)." However, he says that such communication between the agencies is "rare."
Or as Trump might say, “with few exceptions.”
For his part, the Monroe Sheriff's Office told News 23 that it has "no official policy" to notify people who believe they may be illegally in the country.
Although the family has contacted a lawyer to fight for Huete's stay in the country, the Honduran who worked in construction and for local restaurants to support his mother and two daughters in Honduras, is facing deportation.
According to the Border Patrol, Huete has a deportation order dating back to 2010 and is being held at Krome pending arrangements being made for his removal.
In addition, he faces criminal charges for having re-entered the United States after being expelled.
And, legislation in states like Texas only stands to exacerbate this problem. The “show me your papers” law just signed by Gov. Greg Abbott will, if it successfully beats back legal challenges mounted by both Texas counties and civil rights groups, allow local law enforcement to act as federal immigration agents and question anyone they stop—including folks who have committed minor traffic violations—about their immigration status. Imagine this incident multiplied by millions where nearly half the state is Latino.
“The Trump Administration’s mass deportation policy is hurting public safety and fostering a climate of vigilantism and violence,” said America’s Voice’s Lynn Tramonte, whose group has documented dozens of Trump-inspired instances of hate since his campaign announcement nearly two year ago. “Instead of making America great again, they’re making America hate again. Since when is one’s immigration status more important than their status as a human being?”