Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff
A woman in Illinois has died as a result of nearly month-long hunger strike after she was arrested and set to be deported.
Lyvita Gomes, 52, is said to have died of malnutrition at the Lake County Jail. She was arrested on December 14, 2011 after she missed a court date for a resisting arrest charge, though her run ins with the law began when she failed to show up for jury duty.
After not reporting to serve on the jury, police went looking for her. When found, she would not cooperate. She was then charged with resisting arrest for refusing to put her arms behind her back. Upon being booked, it was discovered that a hold had been placed on her by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and she was turned over to the immigration authorities.
Shortly after being taken in my ICE, she began the hunger strike that would ultimately take her life. Though the reason for the strike is unclear, it is thought she stopped eating to protest her likely deportation.
The medical examiner stated that Gomez died of malnutrition and dehydration.
No family or friends have come forward to claim Gomes’ body.
Homeland Security begins random armed checkpoints
In Nazi Germany, “SS” was the abbreviation for the homeland protection squads. In the U.S. government, “SS” stands for “Social Security,” although some people visiting their local Social Security office may be beginning to wonder.
PrisonPlanet.com reports, ”Residents of Leesburg, Florida were shocked to see their local Social Security office turned into a random Homeland Security checkpoint Tuesday morning, as DHS officers armed with semiautomatic rifles and accompanied by sniffer dogs checked identifications of locals.”
“With their blue and white SUVs circled around the Main Street office, at least one official was posted on the door with a semiautomatic rifle, randomly checking identifications. And other officers, some with K-9s, sifted through the building,” reports the Daily Commercial.
The activity was part of Operation Shield, an unannounced drill conducted by the DHS’ Federal Protective Service centered around “detecting the presence of unauthorized persons and potentially disruptive or dangerous activities.”
Thomas Milligan, district manager for the Social Security Administration office, said staff were not informed their offices were about to be stormed by armed FPS officers. DHS officials refused to answer questions asked by local media and left with no explanation at noon. (This item reported by Joel McDurmon, at the blog American Vision News).
