War veteran Ramos-Gomez wrongfully detained, Grand Rapids to pay $190,000 settlement

A Latino American war veteran who was wrongfully detained by federal immigration officials will be reportedly paid $190,000 settlement by Grand Rapids. Jilmar Ramos-Gomez is a US citizen and war veteran who was held by Customs Enforcement for three days last December for his Latino origins. The civil rights groups also believe the circumstances surrounding his arrest possibly stemmed from post-traumatic stress due to his service in Afghanistan where Gomez served as a tank crewman in 2013. 

Back in 2018, Gomez was arrested by local police authorities for trespassing in a secure area of a Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital. Gomez reportedly pulled a fire alarm and ended up at the hospital's helipad after which he was all over the local news channels. Police Captain Curtis VanderKooi who was off duty then alerted the federal agency about Gomez's arrest at a hospital after which the war veteran was handed over to the ICE. 

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According to international media reports, VaderKooi wasn't a part of the investigation and emailed the agent and police investigator Adam Baylis to check Gomez's status. Eight days later he emailed again with an update which included a police report with the reference of a passport. VanderKooi reportedly served 20-hour unpaid suspension for violating department policy. The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and Michigan Immigrant Rights Center filed the complaint saying that VanderKooi discriminated against Gomez on the basis of his race and he also violated the state's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. 

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Jilmar Ramos-Gomez

According to military records, Ramos-Gomez has served in the Marines from October 2011 to August 2014. He was also awarded numerous medals for his service. The ACLU of Michigan reportedly said that Gomez was decorated with a national defense service medal, a global war on terrorism service medal, an Afghanistan campaign medal and a combat action ribbon, among other awards. The ACLU further added that the war veteran also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his service in Afghanistan. Due to PTSD, Gomez has also had episodes where he disappeared and has no recollection of where he was. ACLU attorney Miriam Aukerman said that Gomez was wrongly arrested and the incident revealed a larger issue within the department.

(With agency inputs)

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