Video Shows ICE Detains Two 17-Year-Old U.S. Citizens Filming Raid Near Marine Recruiters in Texas

Two 17-year-old U.S. citizens say they were assaulted and detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after stopping to observe and film an immigration enforcement action while on their way to a Marines recruitment office in Alamo, Texas.

According to the teens' mother, Teresa Ochoa, the pair pulled over on September 11 to record agents carrying out an enforcement action when officers pulled one youth from his car, forced him to the ground and handcuffed him. She said the other teen was also assaulted.

Video of the encounter circulated on social media appears to show an agent striking one of the boys multiple times; the footage shows the agent hitting the youth four times. Luis Ochoa, one of the teens, told local media agents also used pepper spray. "[They] arrested me for no reason," he told KRGV.com. "They got on top of me saying, 'Don't resist.' I was never resisting. They broke my wrist."

Teresa Ochoa said she was not given information about her son for eight hours while he was detained and described the experience as traumatic for a minor.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials characterized the teenagers as "anti-ICE agitators" who interfered with federal agents. A DHS spokesperson told Newsweek that officers were carrying out duties "in service to public safety and the rule of law" and that any bystander who assaults, obstructs, or violently attacks officers will face arrest and possible prosecution.

"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... One agitator began to bang on the officer's window. Officers verbally commanded the agitator to stop his actions, but he refused."

The video shows a red car stopped in the middle of the street with several plainclothes individuals believed to be ICE agents at the driver and passenger doors. Two agents are seen trying to pull the passenger from the vehicle and using force to place him on the ground and handcuff him. Other agents wearing vests marked ICE then restrain the driver on the sidewalk. The recording includes bystanders shouting that one of the youths is a minor.

Texas Representative Henry Cuellar (D) said he was "very concerned" by the footage and urged a prompt and thorough investigation. Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D) also criticized the agents' actions on social media, calling the tactics "shameful" and warning that such incidents could discourage young South Texans from military service.

DHS said officers used the minimum force necessary and reported that deportation officers sustained minor injuries. The department's account claims one of the teens chased and harassed the officers and banged on a government vehicle—details that are disputed or unclear in the video and by family members.

This episode is part of a string of clashes between federal immigration agents and people documenting or protesting enforcement actions. Advocates and lawmakers have cited multiple cases in which U.S. citizens were detained or injured, and some encounters have been fatal. Lawmakers continue to push for greater accountability and expanded use of body-worn cameras for ICE officers; DHS has said rollout of cameras was slowed by federal government shutdowns.

Newsweek reached out to the Alamo Police Department for comment. Newsweek editors assigned to this story were Jason Lemon and Sam Wilson.