Advocacy group criticizes U.S. Marshals after four-day sweep of arrests

Escucha Mi Voz Iowa, an immigrant-led advocacy group, is calling for more transparency after the U.S. Marshals Service carried out enforcement operations across Iowa from July 21-24, arresting 61 people, including a vehicle stop amid Iowa City traffic that the group characterized as “reckless.”

According to a news release from the U.S. Marshals Service, only 12 out of the 61 people detained were accused of being “violent criminals.” Escucha Mi Voz Iowa questioned why so many people were arrested, despite the stated purpose of the operation being to remove “dangerous individuals from the communities of central Iowa.”

The Iowa City enforcement involved armed U.S. marshals carrying out an operation at a busy intersection on July 23. They detained Coralville resident Lattieny Lockett, who was accused of failing to register as a sex offender. Lockett is currently being held in the Johnson County Jail.

Eyewitnesses told Escucha Mi Voz Iowa that U.S. marshals were driving recklessly, weaving between vehicles in stopped traffic while carrying “long guns” and wearing tactical vests, the organization stated in a news release.

Paul Cornelius, chief of staff for the Iowa Department of Corrections, said the agency assisted U.S. marshals with their enforcement in Iowa City, describing the incident as a “routine arrest.”

According to Escucha Mi Voz Iowa, eyewitnesses recalled observing a female passenger in the vehicle with Lockett during the arrest, describing her as an “African immigrant wearing an ethnic headwrap.” The organization says the woman’s whereabouts are still unknown as of Wednesday, and her identity is unverified.

Witnesses who spoke to Escucha Mi Voz Iowa also said many citizens were “caught in the middle” of the operation, “endangering” residents at the intersection of Highway 1 and South Riverside Drive, the organization stated.

“That was reckless as hell. Federal agents were waving guns around and running between cars at one of the busiest intersections in Iowa City. Somebody could have been shot. Somebody could have crashed. A family could have been caught in the middle,” Clinton Dimambu, Escucha Mi Voz Iowa member and naturalized citizen from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said in a news release. “I came to this country believing the government was supposed to keep people safe, not turn a public intersection into a war zone. The U.S. Marshals need to explain why they thought this was acceptable.” 

David Goodner, Escucha Mi Voz executive director, said he reached out to Deputy U.S. Marshal Joshua Finnis, who heads the Davenport Sub-Office for the Southern District of Iowa’s U.S. Marshals Service. Goodner said in a release he was told that the arrest was for a “run of the mill state offense.” The U.S. Marshals Service Davenport Sub-Office was contacted by Iowa Capital Dispatch but declined to comment.

Organization calls for transparency

The operation, named “Operation Heatwave,” was coordinated with the Iowa Department of Corrections, along with assistance from local law enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations. In addition to 61 fugitives being arrested, 97 felony arrest warrants were cleared.

Escucha Mi Voz said it wanted more information about the involvement of local law enforcement personnel in the operation.

A news release from the U.S. Marshals Service lists the Coralville Police Department as part of Operation Heatwave’s task force.

Coralville Chief of Police Kyle Nicholson said in an interview the police department was not directly involved in Operation Heatwave, but a detective from Coralville was involved with a task force that led to multiple arrests in Des Moines.

“We have a detective whose duties include being a task force officer with the U.S. Marshals,” Nicholson said. “He was involved in the warrant operation last week. “However, he was in the Des Moines metro area and not involved in the arrest of Mr. Lockett here in Johnson County.”

Escucha Mi Voz Iowa is calling for “full transparency” regarding the incident, and to immediately release:

• The identities, charges, and arrest locations for all 61 people arrested during Operation Heatwave.
• The agency affiliation of every federal, state, and local officer assigned to the task force.
• The identities of every officer and agent present during the Riverside Drive traffic stop in Iowa City.
• The operational plans governing the use of high-risk traffic stops and other tactical enforcement methods during “Operation Heatwave.”
• A complete accounting of every participating agency’s role, including Homeland Security Investigations and local law enforcement officers assigned to federal task forces.