US: Security forces open fire after incident with Venezuelan immigrant

A New York shelter security guard was fired without pay Wednesday after a video surfaced showing him punching a Venezuelan immigrant who had recently arrived in the city, according to The New York Times.

The video shows the immigrant, identified in the newspaper as Meiver Martínez, becoming angry and repeatedly yelling in Spanish at the officer, “Don’t hit me,” and then kicking a locker. Then the officer, whose name has not been released, punches him on the cheek.

New York has received more than 8,000 migrants, mostly Venezuelans, who have been sent to city shelters or hotels contracted by the City Council.

According to the Times, Martinez, 21, said the officer harassed her as she slowly got out of bed. Also, after the incident, eight officers pounced on him, kicked him and shot him three times with a stun gun.

Martinez, who arrived in the city a month ago, was handcuffed and taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he was treated and pleaded not guilty.

The Department of Homeless Services, which runs the shelters, said it would not tolerate “violence or abusive behavior of any kind” and was investigating the incident at the Brooklyn borough shelter.

According to the Times, NGOs have denounced migrants as leaving the shelters because they are harassed and assaulted by other residents and mistreated by their staff.

The video has shocked organizations like Make the Road New York, which has demanded that Mayor Eric Adams’ administration take “immediate” steps to guarantee safety and well-being at shelters.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan activist Jesús Aguais, director of AIDS for Life, pointed out that this incident was an isolated case and that all those who came should not be judged for this fact and that both versions should be known.

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