of the liars dept
Trump’s war on Chicago seems destined to end in a whimper. While he began his invasion of Chicago with memes and a call to arrest JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson, his out-of-control federal agents reportedly began leaving the area. That suburban ICE facility you’ve heard so much about?
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Johnson said during a hearing Tuesday that only four people are currently being held at the Broadview facility, a drastic reduction that comes weeks after detainees there testified about being crammed into rooms with more than 100 people for several days.
The population decline comes as federal immigration agents sent to the area as part of the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” enforcement effort have begun leaving Chicago ahead of a possible return in the spring.
All right, get out of here.
But as the FBI waged war against Chicago’s domestic enemy, they certainly did a lot of damage. Raids disrupted neighborhoods, businesses and even parade celebrations. The terror in the city and surrounding area was palpable. Oh, and CBP shot a lady, claiming she rammed federal agents’ cars, was armed with a firearm, and boxed agents to endanger them. Here is what the DOJ said took place in October:
“After striking the officers’ vehicle, the defendants’ vehicles crashed into the officers’ vehicle,” prosecutors said in a statement.T when the charges were announced last month. “Unable to move his vehicle, the officer exited the car and fired approximately five shots at Martinez from his service weapon, the complaint states.”
Sounds pretty bad. Really bad, even. Certainly not the kind of thing that the DOJ would just like to drop it a month or so later, right?
Federal prosecutors decided Thursday to dismiss charges against the man Marimar Martinez, a woman shot multiple times by a Border Patrol agent after allegedly using her car to attack and obstruct federal law enforcement in Chicago six weeks ago.
Andrew S. Boutros, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, filed court papers Thursday morning to dismiss the charges.
So, how did we get from prosecutors claiming that Martinez rammed federal vehicles with her car, boxed them in with other drivers, was armed, and all of this led to a CBP agent shooting her several times in “self-defense”? That one is actually easy: CBP lied about what happened.
Martinez’s attorney, Christopher Parente, indicated during the proceedings that he had seen the bodycam footage of CBP officers and that it clearly showed that the CBP car struck Martinez’s vehicle, and not the other way around.
“When I watched the video after this officer said, ‘Do something, b–‘, I saw the driver of this vehicle turn the steering wheel to the left. Which would be consistent with him hitting Ms. Martinez’s vehicle, okay,” Parente said. “And seconds later he jumps out and just starts shooting.”
The gun that DOJ references everywhere except in the actual charging documents? Yes, Martinez has a gun that she is licensed to conceal and carry in Illinois, And That firearm never came out of her bag during this entire incident. CBP had no idea she was armed until after she was shot.
Oh, and the CBP agent happily bragged about how efficiently he put holes in Martinez’s body.
During a Nov. 5 hearing, CBP agent Charles Exum, identified as the officer who shot Martinez, was questioned by Parente about text messages he sent to friends and family after the incident in which he seemed to boast about his shooting skills.
“I fired five rounds and she had seven holes. Put that in your books guys,” one of those messages said.
When Parente pressed him about the text messages during his testimony, Exum said, “I am a firearms instructor and I take pride in my shooting skills.”
Parente then asked, “So you’re bragging about shooting her five times and getting seven holes and five shots? Are you literally bragging about this?”
Exum replied, “All I’m saying is five shots, seven holes.”
And I’m just saying that this kind of assholery is clearly one of the reasons why the government thought it couldn’t win this case.
But what this case should do is serve as Exhibit A in every conversation anyone has anywhere where someone points to government statements as justification for the fascist bullshit the Trump administration is currently pulling. The FBI lies. They lie regularly. And while DOJ may do its best to quietly sneak away from this whole episode, you can rest assured that a civil lawsuit is already being prepared.
Filed Under: Chicago, ice cream, lies, Marimar Martinez, violence
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