Purple Heart Recipient Held by ICE for 8 Hours Says He Wasn't Allowed to Call a Lawyer

"William Vermie, an Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient who was held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis for eight hours, told ABC News that he wasn't allowed to speak with a lawyer at any point throughout his detention. The 39-year-old Vermie, who was injured in combat in Iraq during a 2006-2007 deployment, was tackled and arrested by ICE agents on Jan. 13, while standing with a crowd on a public sidewalk observing ICE agents detaining two young men in his neighborhood."

"An agent approached me and told me to move back and attempted to push me and I didn't let him, Vernie told ABC News. And then him and about three or four other agents started grabbing my limbs and wrestled me down to the ground. After his arrest, he was transported to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis and held in a cell."

"They read me my rights and asked me if I wanted to answer any questions without a lawyer, and I said no, he said. And then they said, You'll have an opportunity to contact one later.' Instead, Varnie was never allowed a phone call to an attorney or any family members, even though a lawyer procured by his wife, who spoke with ABC News, had been attempting to speak with him."

William Vermie, a 39-year-old Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient injured during a 2006-2007 Iraq deployment, was tackled and arrested by ICE agents on Jan. 13 while standing on a public sidewalk observing agents detaining two young men. A Department of Homeland Security statement attributed the arrest to an alleged assault on a law enforcement officer. Vermie was transported to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis and held in a cell for eight hours. He was read his rights and declined to answer questions without a lawyer, but he was not allowed a phone call to contact counsel or family. A lawyer procured by his wife attempted to reach him and could not, and his attorney characterized the arrest as retaliation for peaceful protest. Vermie emphasized that the right to counsel applies regardless of immigration status.

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