ICE officer who drove his truck into row of Jewish protesters resigns
Investigation into actions of Captain Thomas Woodworth outside detention center is ongoing; protest was part of opposition to Trump’s immigration policy
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who drove his pickup truck into a row of Jewish protesters at a detention facility in Rhode Island has resigned from his position.
On Wednesday, Captain Thomas Woodworth drove into a row of protesters who were sitting on the ground and blocking the entrance to the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls. The protest was organized by the new Jewish group Never Again Action, which opposes ICE and United States immigration policy.
Woodworth was placed on leave from his job on Thursday, and police and the state attorney general’s office began investigating the incident. The next day, Wyatt announced that Woodworth had resigned.
“Captain Thomas Woodworth resigned from his position at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility on Friday, August 16, 2019,” the statement read. “The incident which occurred on August 14 remains under active investigation by the Rhode Island State Police and under internal investigation by the Wyatt.”
Two people were hospitalized as a result of the incident, according to the group, including one person with a broken leg and internal bleeding. Three more protesters were hospitalized after being pepper sprayed by other officers.
The protest was organized by the new Jewish group Never Again Action, founded earlier this year to protest ICE’s detention of undocumented immigrants, as well as US immigration policy.
On Sunday, 40 protesters were arrested at one of the group’s demonstrations at a brick-and-mortar Amazon store in New York City. The group was protesting Amazon’s contracting with ICE.
