Venezuelan Asylum Seeker’s Injuries Raise Concerns Over ICE Tactics

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The recent case of a Venezuelan asylum seeker, Yerlys Moreno López, has sparked debate over the conduct of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Moreno López claims she suffered severe injuries at the hands of ICE agents following a car chase, contradicting official accounts.

Moreno López alleges that on May 19, ICE agents forcibly subdued her after a vehicle collision, resulting in a broken knee and other injuries necessitating urgent medical attention. In contrast, ICE maintains the injuries were a result of the crash itself. Medical documentation from her legal team supports her narrative, noting that at the hospital, Moreno López consistently reported being injured post-collision.

Her case highlights concerns about the reported increase in violence by ICE agents under the Trump administration. A similar incident involved Mohamd Salim Abdessamed, who was critically hurt in another alleged ICE pursuit.

Despite these allegations, ICE has denied any wrongdoing during Moreno López’s arrest.

Both Moreno López and Abdessamed were hospitalized in the Detroit area, yet hospitals like the Detroit Medical Center’s Detroit Receiving Hospital and Corewell Health in Dearborn refused to disclose their medical conditions to family members, seemingly under ICE pressure.

Lawyers for Moreno López have petitioned a federal court for habeas corpus, demanding her release from the North Lake detention center, citing illegal detention and inadequate medical care.

Conflicting Narratives

Reporter Koby Levin can be reached on Signal at koby_det.18 or via email at koby@outliermedia.org. Moreno López, who entered the U.S. legally in 2024, was reportedly stopped by ICE agents on May 19 as she left her residence in Detroit.

As per her legal declaration, she attempted to evade the agents, leading to a collision with a parked car.

In court, Jennifer Newby from the U.S. Department of Justice argued that the crash caused Moreno López’s knee injury.

However, her attorneys presented medical files showing she informed medical staff that the injuries happened after she exited the vehicle.

“She was getting out of her car when she was tackled to the ground and hit her knees, right elbow/arm and left side of her face on the concrete,” reported one physician.

In her detailed statement, Moreno López recalled, “I exited my car. Two ICE agents tackled me to the ground. One, with orange hair and a beard, grabbed my hair and pulled my shirt.”

Her injuries included a fractured kneecap, a deep cut on the opposite knee needing stitches, abrasions on her arm, head trauma, and facial bruising. She did not lose consciousness, and scans showed no major brain injury.

Concerns Over Medical Care

Following her surgical procedure, Moreno López was advised to undergo orthopedic rehabilitation, with plans for her transfer to a Cincinnati ICE facility equipped for her recovery. Instead, she was moved to North Lake, where detainees have protested via hunger strikes against poor healthcare. A recent report from the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan described systemic issues with care at the facility.

Records filed by the government show that the initial care plan for Moreno López at North Lake included walking with a walker three times daily.

Her lawyers insist on her immediate release, claiming the facility’s inadequate medical services could cause her significant harm.

ICE attorneys counter that no evidence shows Moreno López received insufficient medical attention at North Lake.

GEO Group, the corporation managing North Lake, directed all inquiries to ICE.

Christine Sauvé of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center commented, “These incidents are not just a matter of immigration policy, but also civil rights and healthcare for vulnerable individuals. It really is a public health crisis. Patients like Yerlys may suffer harm when returned to immigration detention where specialty medical care is routinely unavailable or inadequate, despite the laws and policies requiring it.”

This article first appeared on Outlier Media and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.