High School

Texas HS Football Player Alleges He Was Beaten, Choked by Masked Officers in Stop Leading to Dad's ICE Arrest

Teenager Arnoldo Bazan says agents in tactical gear failed to identify themselves before tackling and detaining him; his father is still believed to be in immigration custody

Levi Payton

A 16-year-old sophomore football player and student from the Houston, Texas area was arrested along with his father on Thursday while on their way to school when their car was surrounded by unidentified officers.
A 16-year-old sophomore football player and student from the Houston, Texas area was arrested along with his father on Thursday while on their way to school when their car was surrounded by unidentified officers. / Richard Burkhart/ Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A 16-year-old Houston (Texas) Alief Hastings High School football player says he was beaten and choked by masked officers who never identified themselves as law enforcement during a traffic stop that left his father in immigration custody.

Arnoldo Bazan, a sophomore kicker who also plays soccer for the Bears, was on his way to school Thursday morning when an unmarked car stopped his father, Arnulfo Bazan, near South Gessner Road and Beechnut Street, according to reporting by the Houston Chronicle.

Arnoldo Bazan is a U.S. citizen.

Cornered: Unmarked Cars and Agents in Tactical Vests

Bazan alleged during a news conference organized by the immigrant-rights group FIEL Houston that the men who approached their vehicle wore tactical vests with no badges or insignia and did not identify themselves before they began trying to break the windows of the car. High School on SI reached out to ICE officials for comment pertaining to Arnoldo Bazan's detainment on Tuesday but did not received a response prior to publication of this article.

When he and his father went into “fight-or-flight” mode, Bazan said they exited the car and went inside a nearby restaurant-supply store, where he was choked after attempting to record the encounter on his phone.

Choked While Recording: "I Said I Was Underage"

“I said I was underage, and the dude started choking me more,” Bazan said, according to the Chronicle. He was detained for several hours before being released after he says agents managed to verify that he was a teenager and a U.S. Citizen. His father remains in ICE custody in Conroe.

Bazan claimed that once police offered to take him home, they did so by requesting for others they presumed to be inside the home to come outside to get him. He also claimed that officers took his phone after he informed them he had recorded the entire incident.

Bazan could be heard in video of the arrest, taken by bystanders, telling agents, "I'm underage! I'm underage, bro! We're from the United States, bro!" One female officer appeared to be straddling the 16-year-old's back as she was attempting to cuff his hands, while a male officer had his right arm wrapped around Bazan's head and neck area.

As Bazan was being led outside he pleaded with the officers that he hadn't done anything wrong and was on his way to school. Bazan later complained of back and neck injuries from the incident.

A video taken by a bystander shows agents wearing vests labeled “POLICE,” though it is unclear whether those who first stopped the Bazans identified themselves, the Chronicle reported. ICE’s Houston office did not respond to questions from the newspaper about the agents’ conduct, the seizure of Bazan’s phone, or Arnulfo Bazan’s immigration record.

Federal regulations require immigration officers who make arrests to identify themselves as immigration officers, state the person is under arrest and give the reason for the arrest.

Houston Incident Sparks Fears Over Aggressive ICE Enforcement

FIEL executive director Cesar Espinosa said Arnulfo Bazan was deported in 2000 and later convicted of driving while intoxicated in 2015, adding that he completed the sentence for that offense. Espinosa said the incident reflects aggressive immigration enforcement taking place in Houston.

Despite Fears, Family Speaks Out

“For all of the people saying this does not happen to U.S. citizens,” Espinosa said, "have the courage and the guts to tell that to Arnoldo in his face."

Maria Bazan, Arnoldo’s sister, said the confrontation has left the family fearful but determined to speak out.

“We want justice not just for us but for other families who can’t be heard,” she said.

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Levi Payton
LEVI PAYTON

Levi’s sports journalism career began in 2005. A Missouri native, he’s won multiple Press Association awards for feature writing and has served as a writer and editor covering high school sports as well as working beats in professional baseball, NCAA football, basketball, baseball and soccer. If you have a good story, he’d love to tell it.

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