Van Hollen says "DHS lied about the circumstances surrounding a nonfatal shooting" in Maryland
Chris Van HollenU.S. Senator from Maryland
In Senate floor remarks, Van Hollen said that "In my State of Maryland, DHS lied about the circumstances surrounding a nonfatal shooting" and that DHS was "exposed in their lies because of a local county investigation". CBS News Baltimore reported the remark as concerning the Glen Burnie shooting.
“In my State of Maryland, DHS lied about the circumstances surrounding a nonfatal shooting, and they were exposed in their lies because of a local county investigation that showed that DHS was plain wrong.”
Original text
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Was ICE justified in shooting Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins in Glen Burnie, Maryland?
On December 24, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stopped a white work van driven by Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and fired at it, wounding him. The Department of Homeland Security said that day that he refused to turn off the engine, rammed ICE vehicles and drove directly at officers, and that they fired defensively; it also said a passenger in his van was injured. On January 8, 2026, Anne Arundel County police said the injured passenger was already in custody in an ICE vehicle, and DHS then said he was in one of the ICE vehicles. An FBI affidavit says two ICE officers fired, one about one to two shots and the other multiple shots, and attributes to them accounts that the van moved toward officers at speed and that one believed he would be struck, while Sousa-Martins told the FBI he drove away because he believed he would be shot. He pleaded guilty on April 27 to destroying government property, and a count of resisting or interfering with federal officers was dismissed. The dispute is whether the officers' decision to fire was warranted by the threat they faced, and whether DHS's account of the encounter was accurate.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Official transcript of Senator Van Hollen's Senate floor remarks. The transcript refers to a nonfatal shooting in Maryland. CBS News Baltimore reported the remark as concerning the Glen Burnie shooting.
Reporting
About this source
Reports Senator Chris Van Hollen's floor remarks about the Glen Burnie shooting and quotes prosecutors' court filings that refer to lengthy video and photographic evidence and to plea discussions.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Van Hollen spoke on the Senate floor during debate on a spending bill, in remarks that mainly addressed the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota.
After the quotation
He also said Secretary Kristi Noem should be fired or impeached, and CBS News Baltimore reported that he said he would not vote for more DHS funding.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point includes DHS's public account of the shooting. Van Hollen says DHS lied about the circumstances and was shown to be wrong by a county investigation, which is an express rejection of that account. Denies loses because the passage does not identify which specific fact he calls false.
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- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
More from this case
Read the full caseAttorney Alice Barrett says ICE's use of lethal force against Sousa-Martins "was excessive and dangerous"
“This plea agreement and the hearing at which he was sentenced don't change anything about the bottom line of his case, which is that ICE's use of lethal force against him was excessive and dangerous”Read statement
Magistrate Judge Austin says the court has "some skepticism about some of what the government has presented"
“The court has some skepticism about some of what the government has presented based on some individuals who have not been identified or appeared in court ... This would not be the first case where an affidavit was found not to adequately capture the circumstances”Read statement
DHS's McLaughlin says Serrano-Esquivel "was a passenger in one of the ICE vehicles that was rammed" and the driver "weaponized his vehicles"
“Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel, an illegal alien from El Salvador, was a passenger in one of the ICE vehicles that was rammed. ... The driver refused and attempted to flee, then weaponized his vehicles and began ramming his van into several ICE vehicles. He then drove his van directly at ICE officers, it appeared he was trying to run them over. Fearing for their lives and public safety, defensively fired their service weapons, striking the driver.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Van Hollen says "DHS lied about the circumstances surrounding a nonfatal shooting" in Maryland". First published: 2026-09-25. Last updated: 2026-09-25. https://disputeindex.com/events/2581-in-senate-floor-remarks-van-hollen-said-that