In a dramatic incident on Christmas Eve, two individuals sustained injuries after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents discharged their firearms at a van in Maryland. The confrontation unfolded when the van’s driver allegedly tried to drive over the agents during a law enforcement operation, as reported by officials.

According to Justin Mulcahy, a spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County Police Department, officers were dispatched to West Court in Glen Burnie around 10:50 a.m. on Wednesday. They were responding to reports of a shooting that involved ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations agents.

An initial investigation revealed that the ICE agents were conducting a specific operation in the vicinity when they approached a white van. The situation escalated when, police allege, the driver attempted to run down the agents, leading to the agents opening fire in self-defense.

This incident, which occurred during a Department of Homeland Security-sanctioned Christmas Eve enforcement operation, has resulted in two people being injured. The actions of the ICE agents have sparked several investigations to determine the exact circumstances of the event.

ICE agents opened fire on a van in Maryland after DHS says the driver attempted to ram officers during a Christmas Eve enforcement operation, leaving two injured and prompting multiple investigations. (DHS)

The van then accelerated before stopping in a wooded area of a nearby residential neighborhood.

Mulacahy said one person inside the van was struck by gunfire and transported to an area hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

Another person outside the van sustained minor injuries and was treated at an area hospital.

ICE agents opened fire on a van in Maryland after DHS says the driver attempted to ram officers during a Christmas Eve enforcement operation, leaving two injured and prompting multiple investigations. (DHS)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on X that the agents identified the driver of the van as Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, an illegal alien from Portugal. Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel, an illegal alien from El Salvador, was the passenger, DHS said.

According to DHS, the officers approached the van and told Sousa-Martins to turn off the engine, but he refused and attempted to flee. Sousa-Martins also allegedly began to ram his vehicle into several ICE vehicles before driving the van at ICE agents.

“Fearing for their lives and public safety, the ICE officers defensively fired their service weapons, striking the driver,” DHS said. “Sousa-Martins then wrecked his van between two buildings, injuring the passenger.”

ICE agents opened fire on a van in Maryland after DHS says the driver attempted to ram officers during a Christmas Eve enforcement operation, leaving two injured and prompting multiple investigations. (DHS)

The agents rendered medical aid to both the driver and passenger, DHS added, before they were transported to the hospital for treatment.

“Our brave officers are risking their lives every day to keep American communities safe by arresting and removing illegal aliens from our streets,” DHS said. “Continued efforts to encourage illegal aliens and violent agitators to actively resist ICE will only lead to more violent incidents. The extremist rhetoric must stop.”

The incident has triggered at least three investigations. The Anne Arundel County Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division will review the shooting, while the FBI will investigate the alleged assault on federal agents.

ICE agents opened fire on a van in Maryland after DHS says the driver attempted to ram officers during a Christmas Eve enforcement operation, leaving two injured and prompting multiple investigations. (DHS)

ICE will also conduct an internal investigation through its Office of Professional Responsibility.

Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal Awad said the multiple investigations are standard procedure in incidents involving federal and local agencies and emphasized that her department was not involved in the shooting.

“No Anne Arundel resources were involved in this incident, nor were they present,” she said.

No further details were immediately available as the investigations continue.