EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A man living in Washington state was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week. Days later, KGW uncovered that he had been transferred to the Camp East Montana detention facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso.

A cellphone video captured by a witness shows 27-year-old Jose Paniagua Calderon being taken into federal custody as he screams in what appears to be pain. In the video, it can be heard a woman say, “You are hurting him.”

Paniagua Calderon’s family expressed concern as they believe ICE agents ran over his foot since he was screaming in pain.

“He had no clue it was ICE. He thought he was just being stopped by police,” Carmen Paniagua, his sister-in-law, told KGW. “He did tell us [later] that it wasn’t broken, but that it did hurt. He was in pain.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent the following statement after Calderon’s arrest:

“After ICE officers applied wrist restraints, Paniagua launched into an Oscar-level performance, dramatically screaming while officers simply moved his vehicle off the roadway.”

DHS’s Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin

Paniagua Calderon’s family told KGW they are concerned that he is thousands of miles away since DHS confirmed that he has been transferred to the Camp East Montana in El Paso.

“He was very scared that was going to happen to him, and I feel so bad that it came true,” Paniagua said.

Paniagua reportedly said she fears that moving Paniagua Calderon so far away is retaliation for speaking up about his arrest.

“I do think I feel like they want to silence us. I feel like they want to isolate him,” she added.

In response, DHS sent the following statement to KGW:

“Claims that transfers of detainees are being ‘weaponized’ or ‘hidden’ are also categorically false. All transfers are made in accordance with strict guidelines. Detainees and attorneys are notified about a transfer and can contact their family at any time. Families can also utilize the detainee locator.

“The appropriate process due to an illegal alien with final deportation orders is removal, plain and simple. That said, DHS has a stringent law enforcement assessment in place that abides by due process under the U.S. Constitution.”

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