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AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: We turn now to some of the powerful voices from Tuesday’s hearing on Capitol Hill on U.S. citizens who have experienced violent encounters with federal immigration agents deployed in cities across the U.S. Three U.S. citizens and the brothers of Renee Good shared harrowing testimony of their experiences, as congressional Democrats promised accountability. Not a single Republican lawmaker showed up to the hearing.
Renee Good’s brothers Brent and Luke Ganger both testified at the hearing, with Brent Ganger reading from his eulogy to his sister, saying Good was, quote, “unapologetically hopeful.” This is part of Luke’s testimony at Tuesday’s hearing.
LUKE GANGER: My name is Luke Ganger, and I’m here with my brother Brent. Renee Good is our sister. We’re here on behalf of Nee’s big family and those who loved her. We’re here to ask for your help.
I was talking to my 4-year-old last week when she noticed I was not doing well. I had to come here today and talk to some important people. She knows that her aunt died and that somebody caused it to happen. She told me that there are no bad people and that everyone mistakes. She has Nee’s spirit.
The deep distress our family feels because of Nee’s loss is — in such a violent and unnecessary way, is complicated by feelings of disbelief, distress and desperation for change. In the last few weeks, our family took some consolation, thinking that perhaps Nee’s death would bring about change in our country. And it has not. The completely surreal scenes taking place on the streets of Minneapolis are beyond explanation. This is not just a bad day or a rough week or isolated incidents. These encounters with federal agents are changing the community and changing many lives, including ours, forever.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Renee Good’s brother Luke Ganger testifying on Capitol Hill, followed by 30-year-old Marimar Martinez from Chicago. In her testimony, she described her near-fatal encounter with Border Patrol agents October 4th. She was on her way to church to drop off clothes for donation when she spotted a Border Patrol vehicle in her neighborhood. She says she followed them for about 15 minutes, honking her horn, shouting “La Migra” to warn her neighbors. That’s essentially shouting ”ICE.” Then, when she was to the left of their vehicle, an agent swerved into her lane, side-swiping her vehicle. This is some of her testimony about what happened next.
MARIMAR MARTINEZ: I drove forward and went around the Border Patrol agent, who jumped out of his car and pointed his gun at me. I moved to the far left lane, striking the curb on the far left side of Kedzie. The next thing I knew, I felt a burning sensation in my arms, legs, and thought I had been shot by pepper balls, which I — which I also seen these agents fire at people in our community. As I continued to drive past the Border Patrol agents, I could hear my back passenger window shatter, and I felt bullets continue to pierce my body. As I attempted to drive to a safe location, I began to feel lightheaded. I looked down, and I noticed blood gushing out of my arms and legs, and I realized I’ve been shot multiple times. …
At the hospital, I remember seeing multiple agents standing around watching me be treated for my wounds. My arms, legs and chest were all wrapped in bandages. I had seven bullet holes in my body. I remember the agents rushing the nurses to finish up so they could take me with them. …
The agents took me from the second hospital to the federal detention center in downtown Chicago. I had never even had a parking ticket before, and now I was sitting in federal detention center just for being the victim in a minor traffic accident. Things were surreal. The news in the jail that evening had my story, and I was being called a domestic terrorist. …
I am in significant pain as I attempt to do things I was easily able to do before October 4. I attend weekly physical therapy sessions to work on these issues, and hope one day I can move in the same way I was able to move prior to October 4. I know that what happened to me in the matter of seconds on October 4 will unfortunately be with me for a lifetime. … And perhaps even worse, the mental scars will always be there as a reminder of the time my own government attempted to execute me — and when they failed, they chose to vilify me.
I am Renee Good. I am Alex Pretti. I am Silverio Villegas González. I am Keith Porter. They should all be here today. I know each of them would trade my bullet wounds, a lifetime of mental distress and a heartbeat to be able to — to be able to be back with their loved ones this afternoon. And we must also remember the countless other souls who lost their lives at the hands of these entrusted with authority.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: That’s Marimar Martinez, shot by Border Patrol agent Charles Exum in Chicago on October 4th. After he shot her, the agent sent text messages, bragging, quote, “I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys,” he said. The charges against Martinez were dropped.
The next speaker was Daniel Rascon from San Bernardino, California. He described an encounter with masked federal immigration agents in August.
DANIEL RASCON: I am Daniel Rascon, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen from SoCal. I’m the eldest of three brothers and father to a nearly 3-week-old baby girl. I operate a forklift for work and currently I have my CDL-A license and dental assisting certification. I’m no celebrity, but I am loved by many in my community, and there are many that I love and I’m thankful for.
The morning of August 16th, 2025, would quickly become unforgettable, especially because my future father-in-law, Francisco Longoria, wanted me to run an errand with him and his son, Jonathan, when all I really wanted to do was just sleep in. We took Jonathan’s truck, with him sitting in the passenger seat, Francisco driving, and me sitting behind Francisco.
When we were just two minutes away from home, at 8:49 a.m., two unmarked trucks suddenly boxed in our car. I had been looking down at my phone, but when our car abruptly stopped, I looked up, thinking we must be at a red light or in a traffic jam. But to my surprise, I was instead met with four men — with four men in face masks, sunglasses and baseball caps and guns drawn, pointing straight at us, walking towards our car. These four men then tried forcing their way into our car by pulling on the handles, pounding on the windows and yelling at us to roll down the windows, all while failing to answer our repeated requests for their identification and what they wanted. I did not know who these men were. They were refusing to identify themselves. And the only thing I felt I could do — I could control was capturing this event by recording it on my cellphone.
There were two men on either side of the car, and they were not wearing any uniform. I could not tell who these men surrounding our car with guns were. We again asked them to show identification and why they were approaching us with so much aggression. Only seconds after they started pounding on the windows, one of the men broke the driver’s side window, punched Francisco in the face and began reaching into the car. At the same time, a man on the other side of the car broke the passenger window, where Jonathan was sitting, and began reaching into the vehicle. They shattered the windows, and in that moment the whole world felt like it was the size of the inside of our pickup, and we were sitting in harm’s way with nothing to do but record the horrifying experience.
Terrified for our lives, Francisco brave — excuse me, Francisco bravely drove through the — straight through the only open pathway down the street, hoping to be driving toward safety, when we were instead met with gunfire after we had passed the men. One of the four men attempted to murder us after we passed by, as he fired and made contact with the passenger side of our car multiple times. I will never forget the fear and having to quickly duck my head as the shots were fired at the car. Any one of those bullets could have killed me or two people that I love.
AMY GOODMAN: Two weeks later, Daniel Rascon’s home was raided at 4:00 in the morning. Agents wearing night vision goggles stormed into his house, training the lasers from their assault rifles onto everyone in Daniel’s family, including his pregnant fiancée. His father-in-law, Francisco, who had been driving, was then taken into custody and charged with assaulting an officer. He stayed in jail for three months before he was released. A federal judge later dropped the charges against him, believing he had feared for his life.
Finally, we turn to the excerpt of Aliya Rahman’s testimony. She was violently dragged out of her car by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis this January as she was on her way to a medical appointment.
ALIYA RAHMAN: My name is Aliya Rahman, and I’m a resident of South Minneapolis. I’m a Bangladeshi American, born in northern Wisconsin. And I’m a disabled person with autism and a traumatic brain injury. Not all autistic brains do this, but mine fixates on sounds, numbers and patterns. And while what the world saw happen to me exactly three weeks ago today on video was a terrible violation, it is still nothing compared to the horrific practices I saw inside the Whipple center. So I am here today with a duty to the people who have not had the privilege of coming home, and I offer this data because these practices must end now.
On January 13th, on the way to my 39th appointment at Hennepin County’s Traumatic Brain Injury Center, I encountered a traffic jam caused by ICE vehicles, and no signs indicating how to get around it. I had not wanted to pull into a blocked, chaotic intersection, but verbally agreed to do so and rolled down my window after an agent yelled, “Move! I will break your effing window!” — his first instruction. Agents on all sides of my vehicle yelled conflicting threats and instructions that I could not process while watching for pedestrians. Then the glass of the passenger side window flew across my face. I yelled, “I’m disabled!” at the hands grabbing at me, and an agent said, “Too late.”
I felt immersed in a pattern, and I thought of Jenoah Donald, an autistic Black man killed by police during a traffic stop in 2021. I remembered Mr. Silverio Villegas González, who was killed by ICE in his vehicle last year.
An agent pulled a large combat knife in front of my face, which I thought was for cutting me, and later learned was used to cut off my seat belt.
Shooting pain went through my head, neck and wrists when I hit the ground face first and people leaned on my back. I felt the pattern, and I thought of Mr. George Floyd, who was killed four blocks away.
I was carried face down through the street by my cuffed arms and legs while yelling that I had a brain injury and was disabled. I now cannot lift my arms normally. I was never asked for ID, never told I was under arrest, never read my rights and never charged with a crime.
AMY GOODMAN: A part of the testimony of Aliya Rahman at Tuesday’s congressional hearing on President Trump’s militarized crackdown on immigration. No Republican attended that hearing. We’ll hear more from Aliya Rahman next week on Democracy Now!
On Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance was interviewed by the Daily Mail.
PHILLIP NIETO: Have you apologized? Did you plan to apologize to the family of Alex Pretti?
VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: For what?
PHILLIP NIETO: For, you know, labeling him an assassin with ill intent.
VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: Well, again, I just described to you what I said about Alex Pretti, which is that he’s a guy who showed up with ill intent to an ICE protest.
PHILLIP NIETO: No, but if it is determined —
VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: He is a guy —
PHILLIP NIETO: If it’s determined that his civil rights were violated by this FBI investigation, will you apologize to that family?
VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: So, if this hypothetical leads to that hypothetical, leads to another hypothetical —
PHILLIP NIETO: I mean, it’s a real case that’s open.
VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE: — will I do a thing?
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Vice President JD Vance.
Coming up, Boston University professor Quinn Slobodian, author of the forthcoming book, Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed. Stay with us.
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AMY GOODMAN: “Rapture” by Kassi Valazza, performing at the Brooklyn Folk Festival.
