A Ring camera captured the moment federal immigration officers pulled a gun on a man's partner during an unannounced raid at their home in South Carolina.
Newsweek contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for comment via email on Tuesday.
Why It Matters
The latest incident comes as the Trump administration moves forward with widespread arrests and deportations of illegal migrants as part of the White House's immigration crackdown.
This case comes amid ongoing controversy over administration's immigration policies and increasing concerns about ICE's overreach.
What To Know
Several immigration officers arrived outside the home of Franklin Arce in North Charleston on July 30.
In the video published by ABC News 4, the officers can be seen throwing Arce to the ground to arrest him. The man appears to be complying with orders and does not appear to resist the officers at any point.
Seeing this happening outside, his partner Celeste Hernandez runs out the door towards Acre. One of the officers approaches Hernandez and shoves her back into the house, and points a gun at her while shouting profanities.
"Right when he jumped, got off the van, he put his hands up and that's when they all came out, pointed the guns at him and was speaking to him in a very violent way," Hernandez said about Acre's arrest. "They just grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him down."
Acre's 16-year-old son Damian, who witnessed the incident, said: "He dragged him, pushed my stepmother, and she was unarmed. There's no point of using force if they didn't have anything to be threatened with."
"It was just scary, traumatizing," he said.
Arce's family claim that the immigration officers never showed proof of a warrant and refused to give their names and badge numbers.
In a recorded call to Hernandez from a detention center, Arce claimed: "They didn't even have a warrant, that's why they took me to the truck, because they didn't even have a warrant."
"It's not right with the way they treat us, our type of race," Hernandez told the outlet. "It's a shame because we're no different."
Hernandez said that she did not know why her partner had been taken, as he has been actively working toward obtaining legal citizenship and has an upcoming court hearing set for December.
Arce, who grew up in South Carolina, owns a North Charleston construction company.
What People Are Saying
Franklin Arce's partner Celeste Hernandez said: "Being deported, it's sad for him because he is just a hardworking person. He don't deserve that, he don't. But we're trying to be strong and fight for this because we all deserve justice."
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin previously told Newsweek: "The Trump administration will not ignore the rule of law. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S."
What Happens Next
Hernandez told Live 5 News that Acre is currently being held in an ICE processing center in Georgia, but that she is working with lawyers to fight for his release.
