Well, for one woman swatting at a man wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat could turn out to be an uprooting experience. Earlier in February, Rosiane Santos, assaulted a Massachusetts man for wearing such a hat. It turned out to be a bad move. The police came, she was arrested for assault, and now Immigration and Customs Enforcement is involved. Why? Well, Santos isn’t here legally (via WaPo):
Rosiane Santos, 41, was recorded on video swatting the hat off the man’s head and later told police she didn’t believe he should be allowed inside a Mexican establishment while touting President Trump’s MAGA refrain, according to a report from the Falmouth Police Department. Santos, who was allegedly intoxicated, was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and simple assault and battery — both misdemeanors — and escorted from the restaurant.
On the way out, police said, she hit the man a final time, swatting again at his hat. Santos’s bail was set at $40, and she was released. She later pleaded not guilty.
Now, Santos — who is living in the United States without legal documentation — also faces possible deportation.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officers from the agency’s fugitive-operations team detained Santos on Tuesday, an ICE spokesperson said in a statement. The woman was released from ICE custody and entered into removal proceedings in federal immigration court, the official said. She is expected to appear in court at a future date.
[…]
Bryton Turner identified himself as the victim of the assault in an statement to NBC News. He is also listed on the police report. Turner told NBC that Santos began “harassing me verbally” as soon as he walked into the restaurant.
“All I said was: ‘I can wear this hat wherever I want. This is America,’ ” Turner said.
You’re damn right, Turner. This is America. And you can wear whatever you damn well please, sir. Santos was here on an overstayed visa from 1994. Santo’s husband said his wife was provoked, even though he wasn’t there when she was arrested, so that witness statement is pretty much straight trash. In this country, you can be provoked. It’s how you handle it that determines whether the cops need to get involved, and in this case, Ms. Santos took the worst option. She handled it poorly and now she could be deported. Too bad (via Boston 25) [emphasis mine]:
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Santos told police she was upset the man was wearing the hat in a Mexican restaurant. According to ICE, Santos' arrest revealed her status as an illegal immigrant from Brazil who overstayed a 1994 tourist visa.
[…]
Turner says he was minding his own business when Santos started yelling at him because of his hat, which bears the theme that President Donald Trump campaigned on.
When asked if Turner did anything to provoke Santos, bartender Geo Macarao said, "No, no he just walked in and ordered his food."
When police showed up to the restaurant, the woman told them the man shouldn't be allowed to eat in a Mexican restaurant. President Donald Trump is aiming to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
"You wore that hat going to a Mexican restaurant, I think you were trying to provoke some people," said Emmanuel Santos, who alleges Turner instigated the confrontation before the recording. "If he shot that video himself, I don’t think he would shoot it when he was saying the things he was saying.
"Being a foreigner you go through a lot. She’s been through a lot in her life; she felt she had to stand up for herself and for other people."
As Falmouth police officers were escorting Santos out of the restaurant, Macarao said she took another swipe at Turner.
Emmanuel Santos was not there when his wife was arrested, but he insists she was antagonized before losing her cool.
I get provoked over the fact that there’s a Democratic Party in this country. You don’t see me punching people, slapping off their Bernie Sanders hats, or trying to run cars off the road with ‘I heart Planned Parenthood’ bumper stickers. Santos could have avoided all of this by leaving Turner alone and shutting the hell up. This is free speech. Instead, she’s getting a deportation court hearing. Also, thank you, ICE for enforcing the law.
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