Two individuals have been permanently blinded after being struck in the face by so-called "less-lethal" munitions fired by federal officers during an anti-ICE protest in Santa Ana, California. The incidents have ignited fierce debate over the use-of-force policies employed by federal authorities in the United States.
Close-Range Shootings Leave Lasting Damage
The first victim, 21-year-old Kaden Rummler, was shot at a distance of just a few feet by a Department of Homeland Security agent. Widely circulated video footage captured the moment of impact. Medical examinations later revealed the devastating extent of his injuries: glass shards and plastic fragments were embedded in his skull, with a metal fragment lodging perilously close to his carotid artery.
"I can’t sneeze or cough because it’s dangerous," Rummler told local news outlet KTLA. Surgeons removed a piece of plastic the size of a nickel from his eye. The shooting, which occurred as he approached officers using a bullhorn, has left him blind in his left eye. Rummler, who is 5ft 1in tall and weighs 102lbs, stated that doctors told him his survival was "a miracle."
In a near-simultaneous incident at the same protest, 31-year-old Britain Rodriguez also suffered a close-range shot to the face. He described the sensation to the Los Angeles Times as feeling like his "eye exploded in my head." Both men are now facing life-altering visual impairments as a result of the federal officers' actions.
Peaceful Protest or Dangerous Mob? Contradictory Accounts Emerge
The shootings took place during a procession and vigil attended by approximately 150 people, honouring Renee Good, a woman fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento characterised the Santa Ana event as "very peaceful," noting the presence of local officials and families with young children.
However, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Tricia McLaughlin, offered a starkly different portrayal, labelling the protesters a "mob" that threw rocks, bottles, and fireworks. This claim is contradicted by local police reports and media accounts, which indicated only traffic cones were thrown. Video evidence of Rummler's shooting shows no objects being thrown at officers immediately prior.
Official DHS use-of-force policies explicitly classify "uses of impact weapons to strike the neck or head" as a form of "deadly force." The department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Santa Ana incidents.
Escalation Tactics and a Call for Accountability
The deployment of federal officers for crowd control in this context has raised significant questions. Criminologist Edward Maguire of Arizona State University, an expert in crowd management, noted that recent DHS actions "appear inconsistent with basic principles of crowd management and de-escalation."
"Decades of research show that when law enforcement responds to crowds and protests in this way, it tends to escalate tension and conflict and increases the risk of harm to both officers and civilians," Maguire stated.
Supervisor Sarmiento expressed profound distress and outrage, questioning the continued funding of federal agencies he believes have "gone rogue." He emphasised that the officers engaged with protesters who were not the target of immigration enforcement and were demonstrating on public property outside the federal building. The events in Santa Ana have become a focal point in the ongoing national scrutiny of police and federal force, highlighting the potentially catastrophic consequences of deploying less-lethal weapons improperly.
