U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday evening disputed allegations that officers used force against a 16-year-old Houston Alief Hastings High School student-athlete during the arrest of his father last Thursday.

Arnoldo Bazan, a sophomore kicker for the Houston Alief Hastings football team who also plays soccer, was being driven to school Thursday morning when his father, Arnulfo Bazan Carillo, was stopped by federal agents, according to a report by the Houston Chronicle.

In the report, the teen alleges he was beaten and choked by masked officers who did not identify themselves during the stop. Bazan said the officers attempted to break the windows in their vehicle before cornering and detaining the pair after fleeing to a nearby establishment. He alleged being choked during his detainment.

A bystander video showed agents wearing vests labeled “POLICE,” though it was unclear from the video, which was taken inside the establishment while officers were already attempting to cuff the pair, whether the first officers to approach the Bazans identified themselves or were the same officers seen in the video.

Bazan said he was detained for several hours before being released after ICE verified he was a U.S. citizen.

An ICE spokesperson responded to High School on SI’s request for comment on Wednesday evening, flatly calling the allegations by the student-athlete “FALSE.”

According to ICE, Bazan Carrillo, 49, has illegally entered the U.S. six times and has prior convictions for driving while intoxicated and illegal entry. The spokesperson said on Oct. 23, a “multi-agency team of federal law enforcement officers and special agents” attempted a lawful stop of Carrillo. ICE did not specify which federal agencies were involved.

The spokesperson said Carrillo allegedly rammed his car into a federal law enforcement vehicle and fled, violating traffic laws and endangering the public, including his son. Both father and son then ran into a local business where they allegedly continued to resist officers. ICE said agents temporarily detained the teenager to verify his identity and ensure he did not possess weapons.

According to ICE, Arnoldo Bazan “elbowed a special agent from a partner agency in the face” during the encounter. Officers eventually took Bazan and his father into custody, and the Houston Police Department was called to respond to the alleged assault by Bazan. The agent chose not to press charges on the teen, ICE said.

Arnoldo Bazan was released that same day.

The ICE spokesperson did not address whether the agents involved properly identified themselves, instead describing their actions as “lawful.” Federal rules require officers to state that a person is under arrest and provide the reason for the arrest. ICE also did not specify whether Arnulfo Bazan Carillo remains in custody.

FIEL Houston executive director Cesar Espinosa had criticized the arrest, saying the incident reflects aggressive immigration enforcement taking place in Houston, according to the Chronicle’s report. He said Carrillo was deported in 2000 and later convicted of DWI in 2015, completing the sentence for that offense. Espinosa said the family hopes to speak out for other families who may not have a voice.

ICE also criticized FIEL Houston and Espinosa for spreading “false information” about the agency’s operations, including claims made earlier this month regarding a separate child.

The agency said such reports “foment unnecessary fear in the local community and embolden illegal aliens to further resist arrest and flee from law enforcement, creating dangerous conditions for the public,” according to the spokesperson.

ICE also cautioned the media’s reporting, “especially when it comes from a questionable source.”

STATEMENT:

Allegations that ICE officers “beat up” Arnulfo Bazán Carrillo, a 49-year-old criminal alien from Mexico who has illegally entered the U.S. six times and been convicted of DWI and illegal entry, and his 16-year-old son are FALSE. On Oct. 23, a multi-agency team of federal law enforcement officers and special agents attempted to make a lawful stop of Carrillo in Houston. Rather than obey their lawful commands as Carrillo is very aware of his unlawful presence in this country due to his several encounters with immigration agents, he recklessly rammed his car into a federal law enforcement vehicle and fled, violating numerous traffic laws and endangering the lives of everyone in the local community including his son’s. They both fled into a local business where they continued to act belligerently and disregard the lawful commands of federal authorities. Officers and special agents attempted to take Carrillo into custody for immigration violations and temporarily detain his son to confirm his identity and make sure he didn’t have any weapons in his possession that could endanger the safety of the employees, customers, or law enforcement in the store. Carrillo and his son immediately began to resist, and his son elbowed a special agent from a partner agency in the face. The officers and special agents were eventually able to safely take Carrillo into custody, and the Houston Police Department was called to respond to the assault of the special agent by Carrillo’s son. Despite endangering the special agent’s life and making his job exponentially harder, he graciously chose not to press charges, but HPD does have a record of the assault. ICE encourages the media to research allegations more thoroughly before making false allegations that defame and endanger the lives of law enforcement personnel who have dedicated their entire careers to protecting the community.

For the second time in just the past month, FIEL Houston Executive Director Cesar Espinosa has spread outright lies about ICE and once again the media has chosen to give him a platform to disseminate those lies despite being aware that he has a history of sensationalizing routine, legitimate law enforcement operations and spreading false information. Espinosa falsely claimed just a couple weeks ago that ICE arrested and detained an autistic child, which was demonstratively false as it was local law enforcement that encountered the child, and ICE does not have facilities in the Houston area to house minors. These lies are fomenting unnecessary fear in the local community and emboldening illegal aliens to further resist arrest and flee from law enforcement creating dangerous conditions for the public. ICE asks all media to take a little more time to ensure they are publishing accurate, verifiable information, especially when it comes from a questionable source, rather than rushing to get the story out and causing damage that can’t be undone.

– ICE spokesperson