Texas teens say they were assaulted and detained by ICE agents when they stopped to watch an immigration raid on their way to Marine recruitment

Two Texas teenagers have reported that they were assaulted and detained by ICE agents when they stopped to observe an immigration raid on their way to a U.S. Marines recruitment office. The encounter occurred in Alamo, Texas, on September 11 and was captured on video, which has since been shared on social media. While the teenagers said they are U.S. citizens and were mistreated for no apparent reason, the Department of Homeland Security described them as “anti-ICE agitators” who interfered with officers.

Texas teens assaulted, detained when they stopped to record ICE operation

Luis Ochoa, 17, told KRGV that he and his friend, also 17, were on their way to a Marine recruiter when they stopped after seeing ICE agents detaining people. Marine Corps Recruiting Command confirmed the teenagers had previously met with recruiters, although neither had entered the Delayed Entry Program. Video circulating online showed agents in plain clothes and ICE vests surrounding the red vehicle the teenagers were driving. In the footage, ICE agents pulled the passenger from the car and forced him onto the ground, while the person recording the video told them, “He’s a minor.” The footage also purportedly showed an agent striking the teenager several times while he was being restrained. According to reports, Ochoa was also pepper-sprayed before being detained.

‘They broke my wrist’

Ochoa said he repeatedly identified himself as a U.S. citizen. According to his account, an agent responded, “I don’t give a damn. Your parents can’t help you now.” Ochoa said in a statement to KRGV, “[They] arrested me for no reason. … They got on top of me saying, ‘Don’t resist.’ I was never resisting. They broke my wrist.”

The teenagers were reportedly held for about eight hours before being released. Ochoa’s mother said she could not obtain information about her son during that period. “He is a minor,” she said. “It’s traumatic enough for an adult, for something like this to happen to him is really tough. It was eight hours without hearing from him. They wouldn’t give me any information — they behaved very badly.”

DHS offers own version of the incident

In its own version of events, DHS said the teenagers were not detained simply for watching the operation. The department alleged that Ochoa and his friend followed officers after a vehicle stop and that one repeatedly banged on a government vehicle’s window. “Officers were assisting their fellow law enforcement officers in a vehicle stop when the two agitators began to harass them and impede the arrest,” a DHS spokesperson said. 

“Officers worked to get the situation under control. Officers then left the scene and were stopped at a traffic light. The two agitators climbed into their vehicle and chased the officers down the road and began to harass and approach the government vehicle. One agitator began to bang on the officer’s window. Officers verbally commanded the agitator to stop his actions, but he refused,” the spokesperson added. DHS said the teenager became “verbally and physically combative and resisted officers.” The agency also said two deportation officers suffered minor injuries during the encounter and were treated at a local clinic.

ICE said in a statement that Ochoa interfered after getting out of the vehicle and that officers used the minimum force necessary. “Our officers carry out their congressionally mandated duties in service of public safety and the rule of law,” the agency said. “Any bystander or individual who assaults, obstructs or violently attacks officers will be subject to arrest and prosecution permitted by law.”

Lawmakers call incident ‘shameful,’ demand answers

According to reports, the incident has shocked lawmakers as well, while further raising questions about ICE’s use of aggressive force during immigration enforcement operations. Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar told Newsweek he was “very concerned” by the footage. “Any use of force by authorities should be thoroughly and immediately investigated. As ranking member of Homeland Security Appropriations, I brought up my concerns directly to ICE leadership and look forward to answers on this incident in a timely manner,” he said.

Rep. Vicente Gonzalez also weighed in, calling the tactics “shameful” and “fear-inciting.”

“These are not the values we would ask of future service members who sign up to risk their lives for our families in the name of freedom; we cannot normalize the continued abuse of power, unnecessary use of force, and profiling being deployed by a rogue ICE agency,” he wrote. “Failure to repeal these extreme Republican policies will dissuade future generations of younger South Texans, individuals who seek to help others, from contributing to our country.”