ICE Agents Accused of Running Over Restrained Man in Vancouver, Washington

The Vancouver, Washington Police Department has opened an investigation into a December 4 incident involving an ICE detainment of a man run over by a car while being compliant and restrained.

Jose Paniagua Calderon was taken into custody at around 12:45 p.m. at the intersection of 4th Plain and Z Street. ICE agents boxed his vehicle in as part of a targeted stop, shattered the window to his car, and dragged him out.

According to eyewitness accounts, two videos, and a statement from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaugh, Calderon was in custody outside of an ICE vehicle, sitting on the pavement and in wrist restraints. A video shows a gray SUV, allegedly Calderon’s, being moved by an ICE agent, driving at a slow rate of speed past him, and he starts to shriek in pain.

Our battle damage assessment and war crimes team reviewed the video, and in the first second, the driver’s side rear wheel clearly lifts, as Calderon screams, suggesting it rolled over an object. The vehicle drops back down and then accelerates, and Calderon can be seen bending his knee to move his lower leg and foot back closer to his body.

A final disposition would require a forensic examination of all available videos, medical records, witness statements, and statements from federal officials. In our assessment, there is significant evidence that supports the claim that Calderon’s foot or leg was run over by a car while restrained.

McLaughlin denied the entire incident in a Twitter post (X). “Never happened. ICE did NOT run over this illegal alien’s leg. Pure theatre. No Injury. After ICE officers applied wrist restraints, Paniagua launched into an Oscar-level performance, dramatically screaming while officers simply moved his vehicle off the roadway. He walked around normally immediately after without issue and received a full medical evaluation, including multiple X-rays that showed ZERO fractures, dislocations, or injures.”

However, a second video recorded from behind the ICE vehicle shows that Calderon did not walk after the incident, and was screaming in pain as two ICE agents lifted him into an unmarked SUV with Washington plates. According to eyewitnesses and the Vancouver Police Department, there was no request for local police or emergency services to come and exam Calderon before he was removed.

On GoFundMe, a family with the first name of Carmen said that they “have been left without clear answers about his condition, location, or if he received medical care.

Calderon is being held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, which the publicly traded corporation GEO Group operates on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security. DHS did not respond to our request for more information.

Family members said that Calderon has no criminal record and has no outstanding legal issues. He works in construction and is active in a Vancouver-area church. They wouldn’t comment on his immigration status.

This is the latest alleged misconduct and use-of-force incident involving DHS and its subordinate organizations. On Friday, an Amnesty International Report accused the Trump Administration of human rights violations, including enforced disappearances and torture at Alligator Alcatraz, operated by the state of Florida, and torture at the Krome North Service Processing Center, operated by The GEO Group.

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