Anti-ICE Protester Who Lunged At Agent Left Blinded By Pepper Ball-l
A 21-year-old protester was left permanently blind in his left eye after a federal officer fired a less-lethal projectile at close range during a demonstration in Santa Ana, California, on Jan. 9, family members, witnesses and officials said.
Kaden Rummler, a college student, was participating in a protest outside a federal immigration building against the Jan. 7 shooting death of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis when the confrontation occurred, video and statements show.
“Not even light and I never will,” he said when asked about his vision returning. “My doctor said it’s a miracle I’m still alive.”
Video footage of the incident shows a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officer firing a crowd-control munition at Rummler at close range. Rummler fell to the ground, bleeding, and was later pulled by an officer into the federal building, according to video and accounts provided by protesters and Rummler’s family.
Rummler’s aunt, Jeri Rees, said he underwent roughly six hours of surgery at a local hospital. Doctors found shards of plastic, glass and metal in and around his left eye and skull, with a metal fragment lodged near a carotid artery that could not be safely removed. Surgeons also treated skull fractures, she said.
Rummler has permanently lost vision in that eye and faces long-term medical care, family members said, per CBS News. Rummler confirmed this himself in a post-injury interview.
The Department of Homeland Security declined to specify the type of munition used. In a statement, DHS described the protest as involving “violent” actions in which officers were injured, but did not address the specific claims about Rummler’s injuries.
Local police and protesters offered conflicting descriptions of events leading up to the shooting. DHS officials said demonstrators threw objects at officers; bystander video shown to news organizations did not clearly show such activity.
Rummler was cited for disorderly conduct at the event. Another protester was charged with assaulting a federal officer.
In addition to Rummler, another protester, 31-year-old Britain Rodriguez, told The Los Angeles Times that he was also struck in the face by a less-lethal round during the same protest and suffered a severe eye injury. Rodriguez said he heard no warning before he was hit.
Rummler and his supporters said the demonstration was largely peaceful before federal agents engaged the crowd. Video of the incident appears to show Rummler lunging at an officer right before he was struck with the crowd-control pellet.
Rummler said he intended to continue participating in protests despite his injury, and civil rights advocates have called for an investigation into the use of force.
The protest in Santa Ana was one of numerous demonstrations nationwide following the Good shooting in Minneapolis, which has drawn widespread criticism of federal law enforcement tactics.
Federal officials have repeatedly asked the public not to interfere with enforcement operations or ICE and other officers doing their jobs.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said last week she will continue to stand with law enforcement as protests targeting ICE officers spread across the country.
The demonstrations have followed the shooting of Renee Good, 37, in Minneapolis by an ICE officer. Noem said the woman attempted to drive her vehicle into the officer and described the incident as an act of domestic terrorism. The shooting has prompted protests in several cities and renewed scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement actions.
“I want to take a moment to express how thankful I am every single day for the men and women who put on the badge and put their lives on the line to protect the American people,” Noem said on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.
“With more than 80,000 officers and agents, our Department is the largest law enforcement agency in the federal government,” she added.
Rep. Ilhan Omar Intensifies Criticism of Federal Immigration Enforcement
Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota sharply escalated her criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations on Monday, accusing federal agents of treating Minneapolis as an occupying force and again calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s resignation or impeachment.
In remarks to constituents in Minneapolis, Omar repeatedly described the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal officers in the city as an inappropriate use of government authority, saying the situation has created fear among local residents. Omar said Minneapolis is “currently under occupation” and cited concerns about schools, hospitals and daily life as evidence of what she called harmful federal intervention.
“We do not exaggerate when we say we have schools where two-thirds of the students are afraid to go to school,” Omar said. “We do not exaggerate when we say we have people who are afraid to go to the hospital because our hospitals have occupying paramilitary forces.”
Omar referenced two recent fatalities during federal immigration operations in Minneapolis — the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good — and argued those incidents underscored the need for new leadership at DHS. In her remarks, she blamed senior White House advisers for shaping the administration’s immigration policies.
“When we say it is time for Kristi Noem to go, we mean it now,” Omar added. “And there needs to be accountability for the architect of the terror we are facing in Minneapolis and so many other cities, which is Stephen Miller.”
Omar’s comments follow an appearance on MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes, where she reiterated those positions and broadened her critique to include senior administration officials. In that interview, she said Noem should resign or face impeachment, echoing earlier statements from House Democratic leadership. Omar also repeated criticism of Miller, a senior White House adviser on immigration policy, calling him a “copycat of the Nazis” and suggesting he should be prosecuted.
Her remarks also tied national Republican rhetoric on immigration to broader social tensions, asserting that aggressive enforcement language has “created anger” that can lead to confrontations with Somali immigrants and other community members in Minnesota.
Omar’s public criticism comes amid the ongoing federal immigration operation known as Operation Metro Surge. Federal agents have been deployed to Minneapolis to apprehend illegal immigrants with criminal convictions, drawing protests and heightened scrutiny from local officials and advocacy groups.
Democratic lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), have called for increased oversight of DHS and ICE policies as part of broader negotiations over long-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Jeffries has publicly stated that Noem should be impeached if she does not resign, and Schumer has called for additional conditions on immigration enforcement in appropriations legislation.
In response to increased political pressure, DHS has taken steps to increase transparency in its operations. Earlier this week, Secretary Kristi Noem announced that body-worn cameras will be issued to all federal immigration enforcement officers deployed in Minneapolis as an immediate measure, with plans to expand the program nationwide as funding becomes available. “Effective immediately we are deploying body cameras to every officer in the field in Minneapolis,” Noem wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Federal officials have said that some Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers present during the Jan. 24 shooting of Pretti were already equipped with body cameras, though full footage has not been released. Officials have not yet clarified whether ICE officers were wearing cameras during the earlier fatal encounter involving Good.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz responded to Noem’s announcement by saying body cameras should have been in place prior to the deaths of Pretti and Good, who were tragically killed while interfering with ICE law enforcement operations.
