Arnoldo Bazan, 16, mentioned that on the morning of Oct. 23, his father, Arnulfo Bazan, was driving him to high school when unmarked vehicles with flashing lights pulled them over.
“Me and my dad had nothing to cover,” the Houston teenager mentioned at a information convention Monday. “We have been confused, so we simply pulled over in a parking zone.”
In line with Arnoldo, the 2 vehicles then blocked them in, and masked regulation enforcement officers — whom he claimed didn’t have figuring out badges on their vests — started hitting the home windows. Arnoldo mentioned he and his father have been scared, so his father determined to drive away.
“That is when me and my dad went [into] combat or flight,” he mentioned. “He was making an attempt to guard me. That is what he informed me — ‘I will defend you.’ ”
The unmarked vehicles then adopted Arnoldo and his father down Boone Avenue in Southwest Houston to the Restaurant Depot on Bissonnet Avenue, the place the 2 acquired out of the automobile, based on Arnoldo.
“I ran with my dad, however then they tackled him,” he mentioned. “Three of them jumped on him, however once I noticed they began choking, kicking, punching, it is once I reacted. I simply ran to my dad, and a woman, she grabbed my shirt.”
The Montgomery County Processing Heart, which is utilized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), informed Houston Public Media that Arnulfo Bazan was deported to Mexico on Monday — the identical day his son recounted their expertise throughout a information convention organized by FIEL Houston, an immigrant rights nonprofit. The group reported that Arnulfo was taken to the processing middle north of Houston after the Oct. 23 encounter at Restaurant Depot, whereas Arnoldo mentioned he was returned residence after he informed the officers he was a minor and U.S. citizen.
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The detention middle didn’t present additional particulars relating to Arnulfo’s immigration standing or why he was deported. His immigration standing was not addressed by his son or FIEL Houston throughout Monday’s information convention.
In an announcement to Houston Public Media on Wednesday, an ICE spokesperson disputed the allegations that officers assaulted Arnoldo and his father and mentioned the claims have been false.
In line with ICE, Arnulfo had allegedly entered the nation illegally six instances. Arnulfo additionally had a misdemeanor DWI conviction stemming from a 2015 arrest, based on ICE and Harris County courtroom paperwork.
ICE additionally claimed that Arnoldo had mischaracterized the latest encounter.
“On Oct. 23, a multi-agency workforce of federal regulation enforcement officers and particular brokers tried to make a lawful cease of [Arnulfo] in Houston,” the spokesperson wrote. “Fairly than obey their lawful instructions, as [Arnulfo] could be very conscious of his illegal presence on this nation on account of his a number of encounters with immigration brokers, he recklessly rammed his automobile right into a federal regulation enforcement automobile and fled, violating quite a few visitors legal guidelines and endangering the lives of everybody in the area people, together with his son’s.”
The spokesperson didn’t present particulars relating to the rationale for the visitors cease, nor did he verify if the officers have been in unmarked vehicles.
Whereas Arnoldo mentioned he was assaulted by officers, the ICE spokesperson claimed Arnoldo assaulted an officer.
“Regardless of endangering the particular agent’s life and making his job exponentially more durable, he graciously selected to not press expenses,” the spokesperson mentioned.
FIEL Houston Govt Director Cesar Espinosa mentioned he fears “extra incidents like this will unfold” as federal immigration enforcement ramps up underneath the administration of President Donald Trump.
“In our stunning various metropolis, we’re so nervous for our communities and all of the households that can be separated and harm by this administration,” Espinosa mentioned in an announcement.
The ICE spokesperson accused Espinosa of spreading “outright lies about ICE” and blamed “the media” for giving “him a platform.”
Espinosa was faraway from a Houston Metropolis Council assembly earlier this month after he accused Mayor John Whitmire of mendacity about what occurred to a 15-year-old with autism who had been reported lacking. Espinosa had claimed the boy was detained by ICE.
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ICE disputes this, and the company spokesperson mentioned the allegations have been “demonstratively false.”
Concerning the Oct. 23 incident, Arnoldo alleged that the officers who confronted him and his father choked him and took his cellphone. He mentioned he believes his cellphone was taken as a result of he had used it to movie the encounter.
“Then that is after they tackled me and despite the fact that I mentioned I used to be underage, the dude began choking me extra,” Arnoldo mentioned.
A separate video shared on-line by FIEL seems to point out Arnoldo and his father being detained within the entrance of the Restaurant Depot. Whereas Arnoldo mentioned he did not see any figuring out markings on the officers’ uniforms, the video exhibits 5 officers, 4 of whom had “police” patches on their vests and one who had a “DEA” patch on the again of their vest.
Within the video, the particular person filming the incident could be heard saying, “You are fixing to interrupt his neck” whereas pointing the digital camera at two officers making an attempt to restrain a younger man who seems to be Arnoldo. One officer seems to have an arm across the younger man’s neck and a hand urgent down on his head.
He could be heard saying, “File this [expletive], file this [expletive]. They hit our automobile 3 times. I’ve it on video.”
Editor’s word: This story was up to date Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025 to incorporate statements from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
