Carlitos Ricardo Parias, a Los Angeles-area resident who entered the United States illegally from Mexico in 2002, has been held at the Adelanto Detention Center in California for approximately eight months since being shot by federal agents during an immigration enforcement arrest. Attorneys representing Parias allege he is not receiving adequate medical care, including pain medication and physical therapy, following a gunshot wound near his left elbow sustained during the October encounter with federal officers. The case has drawn attention from Democratic lawmakers who say it exemplifies broader challenges in oversight of immigration detention facilities.
Parias spent two decades living in the Los Angeles area with his two U.S. citizen children before the incident. He gained a significant following on TikTok, where he shared community events and later documented immigration arrests and federal officer presence for his more than 250,000 followers. Body camera footage released by the Los Angeles Times shows federal agents surrounding Parias' vehicle, breaking the passenger-side window while holding a gun, and shouting commands in both English and Spanish before an officer opened fire. Following the shooting, Parias was taken to a hospital and treated for his wound; the bullet also struck a U.S. marshal involved in the operation.
What the Left Is Saying
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., visited Parias at the Adelanto Detention Center and has been advocating for his medical care. "I have a constituent who is being detained in a facility hours from where his family lives. Who is in pain," she said in an interview with NPR. The congresswoman stated that while DHS has been responsive to her office's inquiries, including facilitating visits, the agency is not providing what she is requesting. "What I need to hear is that he is going to physical therapy, he is getting the kind of antibiotics and medical and prescription medication that he needs to help him with his vision, to help him with his headaches, to help him with his pain," Kamlager-Dove said.
Margaret Hellerstein, an immigration attorney representing Parias, said the case exemplifies systemic issues. "There are not enough people, and there's not enough concern. And that's leading to permanent disability and death," she said. Hellerstein noted that internal oversight offices at DHS that investigate complaints about detention conditions, including access to medical care, are currently unfunded. Without control of either chamber of Congress, Democratic lawmakers have limited options for oversight. "We don't have that many oversight tools. We have stretched ourselves to the limit in the hearings as a party in the minority," Kamlager-Dove said.
What the Right Is Saying
An unnamed DHS spokesperson told NPR: "All use-of-force incidents involving individuals in ICE custody are documented and subject to internal review, consistent with ICE detention standards and DHS oversight requirements." The agency stated that from November to June, Parias was seen by a nurse who provided him a brace and sling, educated him on exercises for range of motion, and prescribed pain and anti-inflammatory medications. In March, a nurse assessed Parias for increasing pain complaints and submitted referrals for an orthopedic evaluation and additional medications. According to DHS, an orthopedic surgeon evaluated Parias and provided a physical therapy referral.
Immigration authorities argued in court filings that the immigration judge lacked jurisdiction over bond proceedings due to the Laken Riley Act, legislation President Trump signed as his first bill of his second term. The act broadly expanded who ICE would prioritize for detention, directing federal enforcement to detain those without legal status charged with crimes including assault of a law enforcement officer. U.S. District Judge Fernando Olgin dismissed criminal charges against Parias in December, citing inadequate access to legal representation; the government is appealing that decision. An immigration judge denied bond, stating she would have done so even absent the Laken Riley Act because Parias could be considered a flight risk due to his lack of legal status.
What the Numbers Show
Parias has spent approximately eight months in detention since the October incident. He entered the country illegally from Mexico 24 years ago and lived in the United States for two decades without legal status, according to court records reviewed by NPR. Medical records from November through May show Parias reported consistent pain and decreased mobility, with a May report detailing pain radiating from his neck down his left arm and hand. The records note no physical therapy had been completed and that Parias had been in a sling for six months. Congressional Republicans recently approved $70 billion for immigration enforcement, including detention capacity expansion. For the first several months following the shooting, Parias was primarily prescribed Motrin, gabapentin for nerve pain, and muscle rub cream, according to medical records reviewed by NPR.
The Bottom Line
Parias' case intersects multiple issues in federal immigration enforcement: use-of-force accountability, conditions within detention facilities, and access to medical care for those in custody. His attorneys say they have exhausted standard legal avenues; a habeas petition filed in federal court requesting his release has been pending since February before U.S. District Judge Olgin. The Laken Riley Act and additional mandatory detention policies created by the Trump administration have narrowed options for detainees without criminal records to argue for bond hearings. Democratic lawmakers acknowledge their limited ability to compel agency action as the minority party, with Kamlager-Dove pointing to November midterm elections as a potential turning point: "If we are victorious in November, then we will have a lot more tools at our disposal." DHS has not responded to questions about the outcome of any internal investigation into the use of force during Parias' arrest.