MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — Days after an assailant’s bullet tore through two of his limbs, Felipe de Jesus Hernandez Marcelo hobbled out of the hospital on crutches.
Hernandez had nearly died in the early morning of June 21 when, police say, a troubled young man shot him during an attempted robbery in Muscatine, Iowa. A quick emergency response saved his life, but the shooting left the 28-year-old father wounded where a bullet traveled through his arm and leg.
Police had seized the car Hernandez was driving when he was shot and the $462 cash it contained as evidence. A friend took him to the police station to ask for his belongings on June 24 — not knowing the visit could mark the last time he enjoyed freedom in the United States.
Hernandez is one of a growing number of crime victims and relatives who have been arrested and indefinitely detained pending removal proceedings during the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
In January, Immigration and Customs Enforcement rescinded a policy that had shielded many victims from detention and removal. The number of people applying for visas that allow some victims and their families to remain in the country has plummeted since then. Others are being detained as they go through the lengthy application process. Of those detained, many have been declared ineligible for release under another ICE policy change.
Critics say the outcome is not only cruel to victims and their families but is harming public safety by making those who are in the U.S. illegally unlikely to report crimes and cooperate with police.
ICE didn’t return messages seeking comment. Its new policy cites an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” which calls for the “total and efficient enforcement” of immigration laws.
A native of Mexico who entered the U.S. illegally, Hernandez has been in federal custody for all of the 2 ½ months since he visited his police station. Police arrested him on an old warrant for failing to pay a traffic ticket, and he was turned over to ICE custody within hours.
Hernandez has been apart from his 9-year-old son, unable attend medical appointments critical for recovering from his gunshot wounds, and unable to work the construction job that paid his family’s bills.
He was denied medicine for the first five days as he suffered in excruciating pain.
Hernandez cried out for help in downtown Muscatine at 4 a.m. on June 21. Witnesses saw him behind the wheel of his Volkswagen Jetta covered in blood as he struggled to convey what happened to them in Spanish. Officers arrived quickly and found Hernandez bleeding profusely from gunshot wounds.
After a series of medical interventions, Hernandez began recovering but faced significant financial burdens due to medical bills and ongoing legal troubles. His friend’s visit to the police station turned tragic as Hernandez was arrested due to an outstanding warrant for a minor traffic offense.
The case has sparked discussions about the treatment of crime victims under the current immigration system, with implications for public safety and community trust in law enforcement. Hernandez continues to fight for his right to seek a U visa, which would allow him to remain in the U.S. as a victim of a felony assault.
Hernandez had nearly died in the early morning of June 21 when, police say, a troubled young man shot him during an attempted robbery in Muscatine, Iowa. A quick emergency response saved his life, but the shooting left the 28-year-old father wounded where a bullet traveled through his arm and leg.
Police had seized the car Hernandez was driving when he was shot and the $462 cash it contained as evidence. A friend took him to the police station to ask for his belongings on June 24 — not knowing the visit could mark the last time he enjoyed freedom in the United States.
Hernandez is one of a growing number of crime victims and relatives who have been arrested and indefinitely detained pending removal proceedings during the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
In January, Immigration and Customs Enforcement rescinded a policy that had shielded many victims from detention and removal. The number of people applying for visas that allow some victims and their families to remain in the country has plummeted since then. Others are being detained as they go through the lengthy application process. Of those detained, many have been declared ineligible for release under another ICE policy change.
Critics say the outcome is not only cruel to victims and their families but is harming public safety by making those who are in the U.S. illegally unlikely to report crimes and cooperate with police.
ICE didn’t return messages seeking comment. Its new policy cites an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” which calls for the “total and efficient enforcement” of immigration laws.
A native of Mexico who entered the U.S. illegally, Hernandez has been in federal custody for all of the 2 ½ months since he visited his police station. Police arrested him on an old warrant for failing to pay a traffic ticket, and he was turned over to ICE custody within hours.
Hernandez has been apart from his 9-year-old son, unable attend medical appointments critical for recovering from his gunshot wounds, and unable to work the construction job that paid his family’s bills.
He was denied medicine for the first five days as he suffered in excruciating pain.
Hernandez cried out for help in downtown Muscatine at 4 a.m. on June 21. Witnesses saw him behind the wheel of his Volkswagen Jetta covered in blood as he struggled to convey what happened to them in Spanish. Officers arrived quickly and found Hernandez bleeding profusely from gunshot wounds.
After a series of medical interventions, Hernandez began recovering but faced significant financial burdens due to medical bills and ongoing legal troubles. His friend’s visit to the police station turned tragic as Hernandez was arrested due to an outstanding warrant for a minor traffic offense.
The case has sparked discussions about the treatment of crime victims under the current immigration system, with implications for public safety and community trust in law enforcement. Hernandez continues to fight for his right to seek a U visa, which would allow him to remain in the U.S. as a victim of a felony assault.
