Video Shows ICE Detaining U.S. Citizen in Rochester, Sparking Outcry
- Staff
- Jun 21
- 2 min read
A viral video showing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detaining a U.S. citizen in Rochester has sparked outrage among immigrant rights advocates and raised renewed concerns over racial profiling and ICE enforcement practices in sanctuary cities.
The incident, which occurred Tuesday near the intersection of Clifford and Hudson Avenues, was captured by bystanders and shared widely on social media. The video shows two ICE agents stopping 39-year-old José Castro, a Rochester resident born in Puerto Rico — a U.S. territory — and handcuffing him without apparent explanation.
“You’re making a big mistake,” Castro can be heard saying in the video. “I’m an American citizen.”
ICE agents reportedly held Castro in their vehicle for more than 30 minutes before releasing him after verifying his citizenship. Witnesses say Castro had just left a neighborhood store and was walking home when agents approached him.
“It was terrifying,” said Ana Morales, who witnessed the arrest. “They didn’t say why they stopped him. He was confused, and we were all scared.”
ICE declined to comment directly on the incident but issued a statement Friday saying agents “acted in accordance with federal guidelines” and that “the individual was released after determining no further action was warranted.”
Advocacy groups say the incident is part of a troubling pattern of mistaken ICE detentions involving U.S. citizens, particularly those of Latino descent. According to a 2022 report by the ACLU, hundreds of U.S. citizens have been unlawfully detained or deported by immigration authorities in recent years due to misidentification or lack of documentation.
“It is unacceptable that ICE continues to detain people based on how they look or what language they speak,” said Carly Reyes, an organizer with the Rochester Rapid Response Network. “This is racial profiling, plain and simple.”
Rochester is officially a “sanctuary city,” a designation reaffirmed by city officials in 2017 to limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Mayor Malik Evans and Rochester City Council President Miguel Meléndez have both said they remain committed to doing he can to keep the local immigrant community safe.
“I served in the military, I vote, I pay taxes — and yet they treated me like I didn’t belong here,” he said. “This should not happen to anyone.”
Community members are planning a rally outside Rochester City Hall on Sunday to protest the incident and call for greater protections for immigrants and communities of color.
Click below to view video footage from WHEC, News channel 10, Rochester, NY
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