Crimes of ICE

Prokopas said she was standing outside the facility on March 3 holding a cardboard sign that read “SHAME” when Martinez stopped his truck near the entrance gate while waiting for a break in traffic to pull onto U.S. 41. The two began speaking through the open window of his vehicle.

During the exchange, Martinez told her he had just been fired after fighting with another officer. He had fresh gashes on his face.

Prokopas said Martinez was wearing the patch on his uniform. She said he then removed it from his shoulder and handed it to her.

Visibly upset, Martinez told Prokopas that he previously worked for the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office in Texas. He said he had just been discharged from Critical Response Strategies, the private contractor that provides security at the detention center, after a physical altercation with another guard inside the facility.

Martinez told Prokopas he planned to report the incident to the Miccosukee Police Department because the detention center sits on tribal land.