Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
USA, July 22 – A peaceful protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the Roebling Bridge, which connects Cincinnati, Ohio, with Covington, Kentucky, ended in a violent confrontation with police, leaving at least 15 people detained and multiple reports of excessive use of force by officers.
The tensest moment was captured in a widely circulated video, showing a Covington police officer repeatedly hitting Brandon Hill, one of the protesters, in the head.
Hill, who was wearing a red Cincinnati Reds cap, was knocked to the ground as he tried to stay out of the conflict.
“If something like this happened, it's because a random gun was pointed at my face,” Hill told local news outlet WCPO. The young man was hospitalized after his release, with visible head injuries and possible arm fractures.
Nearly 100 protesters gathered on the night of Friday, July 18, to demand the release of Imam Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant and former Cincinnati Hospital chaplain, detained by ICE on July 9.
During the vigil, participants blocked vehicular traffic on the Roebling Bridge, prompting the deployment of approximately 50 officers to clear the area.
Covington Police Chief Brian Valenti admitted to the New York Post that none of the protesters were carrying weapons.
The officer involved was suspended with pay while an internal investigation is conducted. During a press conference, the police presented body camera footage that captured the moment of Hill's assault.
The protest highlights the growing tension surrounding U.S. immigration policies, especially as they relate to community figures like Soliman, whose case has sparked outrage and solidarity at the local level. (Text and photo: Cubadebate)
