Veterans in Congress Condemn Arrests and Injuries of Fellow Service Members During Trump-Era Deportation Protests

Some of America’s most decorated military veterans in Congress have expressed outrage after U.S. military veterans were arrested or injured during protests against former President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign and his deployment of National Guard units to American cities.

“I went to war three times for this country to defend the right of Americans to say things I may not like,” said Representative Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado and former Army Ranger who earned a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq. “Now is the time for every American to speak out.”

Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, who received a Purple Heart after her helicopter was shot down in Iraq, condemned the use of force against peaceful demonstrators. “No one – especially those who have already sacrificed so much for this country – should ever be assaulted, detained or thrown in solitary confinement for peacefully protesting government overreach,” she said.

At least eight military veterans have been prosecuted or sought damages after being detained by federal agents. Among them are Air Force veteran Dana Briggs, 70, and Afghanistan war veteran John Cerrone, who were both arrested in late September while protesting outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in the Chicago area.

Video footage shows ICE agents advancing on Briggs and knocking him to the ground. Cerrone, seen in another video, was tackled by multiple agents, held for nine hours in solitary confinement, and charged with disorderly conduct. The Justice Department alleges Briggs assaulted an agent by making physical contact with his arm, while a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Cerrone had earlier thrown back a tear gas canister fired by an agent.

Senator Duckworth disputed those claims, saying the administration’s justification for the arrests was “meritless” and unsupported by evidence. “Even federal judges are recognizing they are not credible or ‘tethered to facts’,” she said.

Senator Richard Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, warned that the mistreatment of veterans by federal law enforcement “undermines our democracy and is a betrayal to our military families who sign up to risk life and limb to protect our nation.” Republican lawmakers contacted by The Guardian declined to comment.

In Portland, Oregon, another veteran, Afghanistan war veteran Daryn Herzberg, has filed a complaint under the Federal Tort Claims Act after video appeared to show an agent grabbing him by the hair and slamming his face into the ground multiple times while saying, “You’re not talking shit any more are you?” Herzberg, a former Marine sergeant honorably discharged in 2012, was hospitalized and is seeking $150,000 in damages. A DHS spokesperson alleged Herzberg “used fake blood to falsify injuries,” but his attorney has denied the accusation.

Representative Maxine Dexter, a Democrat from Portland and former Department of Veterans Affairs physician, described the scenes at the Portland ICE facility as examples of “unjustifiable and excessive force.” She noted that on October 4, an 84-year-old woman was knocked to the ground and suffered a concussion during what local media described as a peaceful protest. Her husband, also 84 and a Vietnam War veteran, was pushed over while leaning on his walker and wearing his veteran’s cap.

“Free speech and peaceful protest are fundamental rights in America,” said Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon. “Few understand this better than the brave men and women who have given so much to defend these rights and freedoms for all of us. Trump’s goal is to incite violence to further his authoritarian grip and quash our fundamental rights. We must all continue to speak out against his un-American power grab and stand up for one another.”

Dexter added that she hopes the Trump administration will “lower the temperature” so that Americans can debate their differences without violence.