Protesters gathered Saturday for a
rally outside the U.S. immigration building in
Manhattan a year after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot a
man during a confrontation in Gravesend.
Family and friends of Erick Diaz Cruz gathered at Foley
Square Saturday and called for ICE to be abolished a year after agents
attempted to arrest Gasper Avendado Hernandez.
Back in February 2020, ICE told News 12 that a fugitive operations team
discharged at least one firearm when they were physically attacked while
attempting to arrest Hernandez.
Protesters say the incident should have never happened and
are marching to the Brooklyn regional office of the state attorney general to
demand that the ICE agent who fired his gun be held accountable for the
incident.
They're also calling for the
family to be compensated.
“Fire him, strike him of his badge, compensate the family
that was attacked, and maybe look to see how this situation can’t happen
again,” one resident says.
Cruz’s mother says he is still recovering from that shooting, after losing eyesight in one eye, and must undergo more surgeries.
“It's very simple. We just want justice, and we hope that this march will help us deliver justice," she said.
News 12 reached out to the offices for the Department of Justice, the state attorney general, and ICE for comment.