Immigration officers smashed a car window and detained a high school student during his lunch break.
Christian Jimenez, a 17-year-old U.S. citizen and senior at McMinnville High School in Oregon, was driving his father’s vehicle around 12.30 p.m. on Friday when agents from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement stopped him, his older brother, Cesar Jimenez, told Oregon Live.
Despite repeatedly telling officers he was a citizen, one agent broke the driver’s side window and detained him anyway. In a video shared by Cesar Jimenez, Christian can reportedly be heard insisting he is an American while an officer replies, “Get out of the car,” and “I don’t care.”
Christian was taken to an ICE facility in South Portland and held for hours before being released shortly before 7 p.m., his brother said.
According to Cesar, authorities are now trying to hit the teen with a charge of “interference or obstruction of investigation.”
KGW-TV reported that hundreds of people lined the streets in McMinnville to protest Christian’s heavy-handed arrest.
McMinnville High School Superintendent Kourtney Ferrua confirmed the detention in a message to families. She said the student, who had been off campus for lunch, was identified as a United States citizen and later reunited with relatives.
Ferrua emphasized that the district does not allow anyone without legitimate business to enter schools during the day and only releases students to authorized adults.
“The experience of an emotional event such as this one can have an impact on all of our students,” she wrote.
“Our goal is to keep our schools running as a safe and predictable routine, which is in the best interests of all of our students.”
Advocates say the incident is part of a wider sweep. An immigrant rights organization told Oregon Live that ICE detained four U.S. citizens near Portland this week, including Christian and two people who were recording officers.
Miriam Vargas Corona, executive director of Unidos Bridging Community, told KGW that six individuals were detained Friday in McMinnville, Dundee, and Newberg. The group said another arrest took place on Thursday in Newberg.
ICE has been asked to comment on Christian’s arrest.
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