A few dozen gathered outside the Charles R. Jonas Courthouse in protest of the arrest of Miguel Angel Garcia Martinez, who had been arrested on Sunday, Nov. 16, following altercations with federal agents on University City Boulevard. Following his arrest, Miguel’s hearing had been scheduled for 12:15 p.m. on Nov. 20 at the courthouse.
Among those outside was the brother of Miguel, Brayan and Brayan’s girlfriend, Lienarani Bermudez.
“It was just amazing, just walking here, and just seeing people who were already here. We [were not] expecting a lot of people to show up,” Brayan said.
Supporters were originally planning to attend the hearing, but the court shared that it had been postponed to 2:00 p.m.Many of the supporters then disbanded, leaving Brayan, Bermudez and a handful of others on the front steps of the courthouse.
“Me and her [Bermudez], we’re just teenagers. They don’t expect us to take charge like this at all. But he [Miguel] always taught me to be strong,” Brayan said.
The arrest
A video released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office shows a first-person perspective of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers pursuing Miguel’s van on University City Boulevard. After several minutes of pursuit, Miguel was detained and arrested.
Miguel’s van is seen driving over a curb and driving in the opposite lane of traffic…