BALTIMORE — Attorneys report an asylum seeker who was injured after he was detained by ICE last week has not received the follow-up medical care he needs.
Ever Alvarenga Rios is currently at the ICE holding facility in downtown Baltimore, after he was hospitalized for three days.
“I asked him if there had been a doctor that had seen him, a nurse, anyone of any sort of medical capacity and he has seen no one,” attorney Clarissa Lindsey said following a visit on Thursday.
Asylum Seeker injured after ICE arrest denied follow-up medical care at Baltimore holding facility
Alvarenga was on his way to work last Thursday when ICE agents arrested him on South Haven Street in Highlandtown. A photo captured at the scene shows an ICE truck had crashed into the back of Alvarenga’s work truck.
The 32-year-old had injuries to his head, back, hands and ACL. Attorneys worry he is at-risk for infection while detained, because he does not have access to medication, showers or fresh bandages.
From the beginning, they say he had been “violently” rear-ended by ICE agents but a later public statement from the Department of Homeland Security contradicted this narrative.
“Officers tried to conduct a vehicle stop, but instead of complying with law enforcement, this illegal alien drove recklessly through the streets of Baltimore,” the release says. “The illegal alien slammed on his brakes, causing a multi-car pileup.”
But attorneys say they believe a second ICE vehicle intentionally cut Alvarenga off, blocking the roadway, and causing him to swerve and hit the brakes. They’ve continued to seek video from the Baltimore Police Department, which responded to the scene, and a neighboring business for clarification.
“Even if one of DHS’ or ICE’s narratives was correct, it does not take away from the fact that excessive force was used,” Lindsey said. “The facts and the truth are really important so that the public knows what’s actually going on and what’s actually happening with ICE. I also think it’s important for accountability, to show them and to stand up and say ‘You can’t do this, this is not right.’”
The DHS release claims Alvarenga attempted to run away and “disobey law enforcement commands.” It states two officers were injured and also taken to the hospital.
Alvarenga was released from the hospital Sunday night and taken to the ICE holding facility in downtown Baltimore, which has a reputation for poor conditions.
Though, his wife Lurbin Vasquez has been able to speak to him since his release from the hospital and says he’s in good spirits.
“Yesterday’s call he said, ‘My love, I’m strong, because I know that you’re doing everything possible for me to get out of here,’” Vasquez said through a translator, a friend of both, Enyi Mancia.
Vasquez describes her husband as selfless. The pair met at church, where he is currently a youth pastor. He also owns his own flooring business.
Alvarenga left Honduras when facing extortion from local gangs. Though DHS said that agents were acting on a 2018 final order of removal, attorneys argue that’s not the whole story. They’ve been challenging it through an appeal since.
“Since we’ve always had a case open, this fear has always been there,” Vasquez said. “But I could never imagine that he was going to be hurt.”
Attorneys have been granted an emergency motion since the arrest, meaning at the moment Alvarenga cannot be deported. A new hearing has yet to be scheduled in his case.
Vasquez continues to share their story where others may be afraid to because it’s the right thing to do for her husband, who would do anything for others.
She remembers how in his first call to her since his detainment, he asked her to make sure his workers still got paid.
“My heart broke thinking that at such a vulnerable moment he was still thinking [about] others. That’s who he is,” Vasquez said. “That’s why I’m going to fight for justice, because it’s not going to end like this.”
