Rodriguez says ICE agents' actions traumatized the neighborhood and apologizes to affected families
Ralph RodriguezMember of the Harrisburg City Council
Councilman Ralph Rodriguez's invocation at the Harrisburg City Council legislative session, July 14, 2026.
Excerpt from 4:30 to 5:19 of the Harrisburg City Council video. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: City of Harrisburg (WHBG-20)
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: Invocation by Councilman Ralph Rodriguez, about 4:34 to 6:10 of the meeting video)
In his invocation at the July 14 council meeting, Rodriguez said the neighborhood was "traumatized by the acts of ICE agents firing rounds at an individual in the city" and told affected families "we are truly apologetic and stand with you".
“Recently our neighborhood was traumatized by the acts of ICE agents firing rounds at an individual in the city. ... To the families traumatized due to these actions, I say to you we are truly apologetic and stand with you.”
Original video
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Was the ICE officer justified in firing at a driver during a Harrisburg vehicle stop?
On July 1, 2026, ICE officers stopped a white SUV in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and one officer fired at it as it drove away, in what PennLive counted as one shot. ICE said the stop was a targeted operation to arrest Clemente Lara-Hernandez, that he "weaponized his car and rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle", and that an officer discharged his weapon. PennLive reported that surveillance footage it obtained shows agents breaking the driver's window and the driver then trying to drive around the ICE vehicle, clipping its front end, before an agent fired one shot. FOX43 and WGAL describe the SUV striking an ICE sedan as it pulled away. Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas said the video appears inconsistent with Justice Department deadly-force policy and asked for an independent investigation, while the FBI, which PennLive and Harrisburg police say is handling the investigation, declined to discuss it. The dispute is whether the officer's decision to fire was justified.
Source and context
Original video
About this source
Recording of the Harrisburg City Council's July 14, 2026 legislative session. Councilman Ralph Rodriguez opens the meeting with an invocation that refers to the July 1 shooting.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Watch the clip from this source at the top of the page.
Reporting
About this source
PennLive reports that residents pressed the Harrisburg City Council on July 14 to hold ICE accountable and to explain the city's response, and that Councilman Ralph Rodriguez addressed the shooting in the invocation.
Reporting
About this source
abc27 reports on public comment at the July 14 council meeting and says Councilman Ralph Rodriguez's remarks were the council's first mention of the shooting. abc27 spells his surname Rodrigues.
Before the quotation
Rodriguez spoke during the invocation that opens the council's July 14 legislative session. abc27 reported that his remarks were the council's first mention of the shooting.
After the quotation
In the same remarks he said the council had acted to the fullest extent of its municipal power by banning city cooperation with ICE agents, but that laws are only as effective as the enforcement behind them. Residents then pressed the council to seek an independent investigation.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the officer's decision to fire. Rodriguez describes the agents' firing as an act that traumatized the neighborhood and apologizes to the families affected, which criticizes the shooting itself and goes beyond the city's response to it.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
More from this case
Read the full caseHarrison says nobody was at risk and deadly force was not needed
“Was anybody at risk of serious physical injury or death? And the answer is no ... I don’t think there’s a need for deadly physical force in that situation.”Read statement
Corey says the SUV took sideswipe damage but did not ram its way out
“He takes a little sideswipe damage, but he doesn’t ram his way out of that, by any means. ... If you’re saying that the officers are firing because the car was trying to run them over, then they’d be firing at the car as it was heading towards them, not speeding away from them”Read statement
Douglas says fleeing from law enforcement is not punishable by death and calls for an independent investigation
“Whatever crimes someone may have committed, and whatever charges they may face, fleeing from law enforcement is not punishable by death. The use of deadly force must always be justified. ... What we see in the video appears inconsistent with the U.S. Department of Justice's Policy 1-16.200, Use of Deadly Force and Prohibited Restraining Techniques, which permit such force only in narrowly defined circumstances involving an imminent threat. To truly serve justice, I believe this situation warrants a thorough, independent, and transparent investigation.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Rodriguez says ICE agents' actions traumatized the neighborhood and apologizes to affected families
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/2570-in-his-invocation-at-the-july-14-council
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Rodriguez says ICE agents' actions traumatized the neighborhood and apologizes to affected families". First published: 2026-09-25. Last updated: 2026-09-25. https://disputeindex.com/events/2570-in-his-invocation-at-the-july-14-council