William Vermie, a 39-year-old Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents tackled and arrested him on Jan. 13th while he stood on a public sidewalk observing ICE officers detain two young men in his Minneapolis neighborhood during an immigration enforcement activity known as Operation Metro Surge.
Vermie said he was held in an ICE detention cell for eight hours at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building and was not allowed to contact an attorney or his family during that time, despite repeatedly requesting to do so and his wife having already secured legal representation on his behalf.
The Department of Homeland Security told ABC News that Vermie was arrested for allegedly assaulting a law enforcement officer and maintains that detainees are given opportunities to communicate with attorneys and family members.
Vermie, however, told ABC News that he was merely a bystander, standing with a crowd on a public sidewalk while ICE agents carried out an immigration enforcement operation when he was arrested.
According to Vermie, he was read his rights and declined to answer questions without an attorney present. “They told me I would have an opportunity to contact one later,” he said.
Vermie’s attorney told ABC News that after being contacted by Vermie’s family, he waited at the Whipple Building for more than three hours in an attempt to see his client but was denied access despite making multiple requests. The attorney said Vermie was also prevented from contacting anyone while in custody, despite being told he would be allowed to do so.
“He wasn’t allowed to speak to an attorney while in the cell,” the lawyer said. “Had he been given access, he would have immediately called his wife. She never received a call, despite keeping her phone by her side the entire time.”
William Vermie served in the military, as an infantryman from September 2004 to February 2009 and was deployed to Iraq from October 2006 to April 2007; Via ABC News
“My client was snatched off the streets by masked ICE agents in retaliation for peacefully observing and protesting,” the attorney added.
Vermie said the incident raises serious constitutional concerns. “We’re entitled to counsel. It’s part of the Bill of Rights,” he said. “Even if you’re here illegally or a foreign national, you’re entitled to legal representation.”
“I don’t know whether this was incompetence or a deliberate choice,” Vermie added. “Either way, it’s not acceptable.”
Vermie’s account mirrors complaints from multiple attorneys interviewed by ABC News, who allege that some of the many individuals arrested during recent ICE operations in Minneapolis have been denied their constitutional right to consult with legal counsel.
