1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

I am writing to demand immediate action regarding the brutal assault on 21-year-old Kaden Rummler by a Department of Homeland Security agent in Santa Ana last Friday. Rummler was permanently blinded in one eye after an agent fired a nonlethal round directly at his face from close range during a protest. This incident represents a clear violation of use-of-force standards and demands congressional oversight. Rummler underwent six hours of surgery. Doctors found shards of plastic, glass, and metal embedded in his eyes and face. A metal piece lodged 7 millimeters from his carotid artery remains in place because removing it could be fatal. He suffered a fractured skull around his eyes and nose and has permanently lost vision in his left eye. Video evidence shows the same agent dragging Rummler by his jacket hood after shooting him, then pressing his face against a pool of his own blood while mocking him, saying "You're going to lose your eye." Agents delayed calling paramedics. Ed Obayashi, a sheriff's deputy and legal advisor to police agencies who has testified in similar cases, reviewed the footage and stated this incident "constitutes as deadly force as far as the law is concerned." He emphasized that all training manuals and legal cases specify not to aim at the face because these projectiles can cause serious injury or death. Obayashi concluded that based on law enforcement use-of-force standards, deadly force is only justified when an officer faces imminent danger or great bodily harm, adding "I just don't see that here." Video documentation of this incident is available at https://bsky.app/profile/nowthisimpact.bsky.social/post/3mcfpisad6k25 This assault occurred during protests against the killing of Renee Good, a Minnesota mother of three, by a federal immigration agent. Federal agents are operating with impunity, inflicting permanent injuries on American citizens exercising their constitutional rights. I demand you call for an immediate investigation into this incident, hold the responsible agent accountable, and support legislation restricting the deployment of federal agents against protesters. Your constituents deserve protection from government violence, not silence.