A migrant driver was shot and hospitalized after crashing a van while fleeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during an enforcement operation in Glen Burnie, Maryland, on Christmas Eve, according to federal and local officials.
The Department of Homeland Security said ICE officers were conducting a targeted operation Wednesday morning when they approached a van and instructed the driver to turn off the engine. The driver was identified as Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, a Portuguese national who DHS said overstayed a visa that expired in 2009. The passenger, Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel, is a Salvadoran national whom DHS claimed is also an undocumented immigrant.
According to a statement from DHS published on X, the driver refused to comply and attempted to flee, ramming multiple ICE vehicles before driving the van directly toward officers.
"Fearing for their lives and public safety, the ICE officers defensively fired their service weapons, striking the driver," the agency said. The van then crashed between two buildings, injuring the passenger. DHS said officers provided medical aid, and both men were transported to a hospital, where they were reported to be in stable condition and expected to recover. No ICE officers were seriously injured.
Today, @ICEgov officers were conducting a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Agents positively identified the driver of a van as Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, an illegal alien from Portugal. In the passenger seat was Solomon Antonio… pic.twitter.com/M8tdlK39vx
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) December 24, 2025
Anne Arundel County Police will investigate the shooting, while the FBI is investigating the alleged attempt to harm ICE officers, police spokesman Justin Mulcahy told NBC News. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore posted on social media that he was aware of the "ICE-involved shooting" and that the state would remain in contact with local officials.
I am aware of the ICE-involved shooting that occurred earlier today in Glen Burnie.
— Governor Wes Moore (@GovWesMoore) December 24, 2025
As information surrounding the incident continues to emerge, we will remain in touch with local officials and are standing by to provide support for the community.
Anne Arundel County Council member Allison Pickard called for greater transparency, saying the community deserved "a clear, accountable process for investigation," while County Executive Steuart Pittman criticized federal immigration tactics, saying ICE has operated without sufficient coordination with local authorities.
The shooting comes amid a sharp increase in immigration enforcement activity in Maryland under the Trump administration. According to a recent analysis by The Baltimore Banner of newly released federal data ICE made more than 700 arrests in Maryland between Sept. 1 and Oct. 15, the busiest period of enforcement in the state during Trump's second term.
The analysis, however, found that about two-thirds of those arrested during that period had no prior criminal charges, while roughly 22% had criminal convictions and about 6% had been convicted of violent crimes. ICE disputed the findings, with a Baltimore field office spokesperson saying the data was inaccurate, though the agency did not specify errors.
Advocates and researchers cited by the Banner said the rise in arrests has led many immigrant families in Maryland to curtail daily activities out of fear of detention.
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