A Utah man who is deaf is suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and several members of the Trump administration, saying he U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents injured him when they apprehended him at a Taylorsville bus stop.
In a suit filed in U.S. District Court in Utah, Arturo Ruvalcaba accused the agents of not working to communicate with him when he tried to tell them he couldn’t understand their demands. He said in the complaint that the agents became “physically aggressive,” hurt his arm and put him in handcuffs — and only released him when they found his green card.
Months later, Ruvalcaba said in the lawsuit that he’s still in pain, and missed several weeks of work without pay.
Ruvalcaba’s attorney, Jared Allebest, filed the suit on Nov. 28. Along with the two unnamed ICE agents who allegedly injured Ruvalcaba, the suit also lists several officials as defendants. Those include two members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet: Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
None of the federal agencies named in the lawsuit immediately responded to a request for comment from The Salt Lake Tribune.
In the lawsuit, Ruvalcaba asks the court for damages, and requests the court declare that the ICE agents violated his constitutional rights.
Ruvalcaba and his attorney also argued that ICE’s current immigration enforcement policies are responsible for the rights evisceration, and asks the court to get rid of such policies.
According to the lawsuit, Ruvalcaba was waiting at the bus stop outside of Salt Lake Community College on the afternoon of Sept. 29 when three white Ford SUVs pulled up.
Several ICE agents got out of the vehicles, and two of them approached Ruvalcaba, the document states. The agents were wearing green military-style uniforms, bulletproof vests and baseball caps, and their faces were partially concealed, according to the lawsuit.
The agents, the complaint says, shouted demands that Ruvalcaba could not understand because he is deaf. Ruvalcaba said in the filing that tried to communicate through gestures and present his legal documentation. One of the agents then pushed down on Ruvalcaba’s shoulders while the other pulled on his arm, injuring his elbow, the lawsuit alleges.
Nearby, according to the lawsuit, Ruvalcaba saw four other people at the bus stop being handcuffed and taken into custody.
Ruvalcaba eventually was able to reach his legal documents, according to the filing. When he showed them to the ICE agents, they left, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit says Ruvalcaba went home, and later that evening, he felt pain in his arm and noticed it was swelling.
The next day, a doctor diagnosed Ruvalcaba with a sprained elbow, and recommended physical therapy, according to the filing. The lawsuit added that the doctor gave him a note to excuse him from work for the rest of the week.
The following Monday, Oct. 6, Ruvalcaba tried to return to work, but found his job painful, the court document states.
He started physical therapy on Oct. 9, the legal filing states, and was able to start working again on Oct. 14, with medical restrictions.
Natalie Ruvalcaba, who said she is Arturo Ruvalcaba’s wife, has started a GoFundMe page on Oct. 1 to help cover legal fees. As of Friday afternoon, the crowdfunding effort has received $4,590 in pledges.
In an update posted Thursday, Natalie Ruvalcaba said her husband has finished physical therapy, but is still experiencing pain. A therapist, she wrote, has recommended an injection, and they have contacted an orthopedic doctor.