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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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Border Patrol agents smashed the windows of a pickup truck and dragged a man from the vehicle during an encounter in Arizona that was captured on video, before taking him into immigration custody, according to footage and witness accounts.
Footage obtained by Newsweek shows Border Patrol agents shattering two passenger-side windows and removing Jesus Ortiz-Vazquez from a pickup truck during a June 27 encounter near the southern border in western Arizona. Ortiz-Vazquez, a Mexican national, was later transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, where he remains detained.
A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told Newsweek that Ortiz-Vazquez is an "aggravated felon with a history of various drug offenses."
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"Every attempt we made to videotape this, they tried to keep us from doing that," the man's partner, Delilah Quintana, told Newsweek.
The encounter occurred near Interstate 10 close to the Gold Nugget Road exit in western Arizona, roughly 25 miles east of the California-Arizona border and about 35 miles east of Blythe, California, according to the man's partner.
CBP said Ortiz-Vazquez and the other occupant of the vehicle "refused to follow law enforcement commands and became combative" when agents arrived at the scene and said the driver "actively obstructed law enforcement by attempting to pull Ortiz-Vazquez into the vehicle."
A Border Patrol agent suffered a broken finger during the encounter, according to CBP.
"Our officers followed their training and used the minimum amount of force to make the arrest," the spokesperson said.
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The incident began after an Arizona state trooper stopped the couple on Interstate 10, Quintana said.
Quintana said the trooper stopped her for allegedly holding a cellphone while driving and later informed her that her license had been suspended. She said she was unaware of the suspension, which she later learned stemmed from an unpaid traffic-camera ticket.
Ortiz-Vazquez was riding in the passenger seat when the trooper asked for his name and date of birth, Quintana said. She said the trooper expressed suspicion that Ortiz-Vazquez was in the country illegally.
Quintana said the trooper eventually allowed her to continue to the next exit and instructed her to wait for a licensed driver to retrieve her truck because she could not legally continue driving.
She said they stopped near Golden Nugget Road, about 25 miles east of the California-Arizona border, where she began arranging for someone to pick up the vehicle.
According to Quintana, Ortiz-Vazquez got out of the truck to use the bathroom when Border Patrol agents arrived and began questioning him. She said he returned to the vehicle as the encounter escalated.
During the encounter, one agent can be heard ordering occupants to exit the vehicle. At one point, a U.S. Border Patrol agent yells "Gun," prompting another person to ask whether Ortiz-Vazquez was armed. Quintana is heard responding that they had no weapons.
Quintana said that agents repeatedly attempted to prevent her and Ortiz-Vazquez from filming. Footage appears to show a Border Patrol agent repeatedly grabbing the phone from her hand.
"They tried grabbing for my phone. They knocked it out of my hand. Then they went for Jesus, grabbed him. Luckily, I was able to grab my phone again and get on video how they tackled him, got him in the ground," Quintana said.
Quintana said she feared Ortiz-Vazquez could be shot when she heard an agent yell "gun" while several agents were restraining him on the ground.
"My heart dropped to the ground when I heard one of those agents yell gun," she said. "Instantly, I thought they were all gonna draw their weapons."
The incident has prompted questions from his family about the use of force shown in the footage and the circumstances that led to his detention.
Quintana said she was also detained during the incident and later received a federal citation alleging interference with law enforcement functions. She said she intends to challenge the citation in court.
CBP said the driver was issued a Central Violations Bureau citation for interfering with an agency action.
Ortiz-Vazquez, who Quintana said was born in Oaxaca, Mexico, is the father of her two adult children and has lived in the United States for more than 20 years.
Although the pair never married, Quintana said they currently live and work together despite no longer being romantically involved.
"Basically, he's my best friend," she said.
She said Ortiz-Vazquez has worked in hospitality, construction, and landscaping jobs during his time in the United States. Quintana also said he previously received a DUI but completed the court-ordered penalties associated with the case.
According to CBP, Ortiz-Vazquez was issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge before being transferred to ICE custody.
Ortiz-Vazquez is being held at the Eloy Federal Contract Facility in Arizona, according to the ICE detainee database.
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