Key Facts
- Incident date
- July 9
- Location
- Interstate 44, Oklahoma City
- Detained person
- Jesson Baez, U.S. citizen
- Duration of detention
- About five minutes
- Police response
- Officer intervened, released Baez
- ICE comment
- Not yet responded
Background
New body camera video released by the Oklahoma City Police Department shows the moments after a U.S. citizen was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, until an Oklahoma City police officer stepped in to help.
The incident took place on Interstate 44 just after 8:30 a.m. on July 9. Jesson Baez said he saw a coworker get pulled over by an unmarked vehicle, which he later found out was ICE. Baez said he was trying to call the man's family to let them know what was going on.
Current Situation
In the video, Baez is seen looking back at the agent and officer speaking outside the vehicle. The body camera video did not include audio in specific parts, so it is unclear what the officer said to the ICE agent or in the moments leading up to Baez being placed in the back of the police car.
Baez said a woman in a green uniform told him he was under arrest or being charged federally. He said, "I've done nothing wrong." After about five minutes, the officer returned and told Baez, "Once they take off, you'll be free to go." The officer said he was driving to another call when he saw what was happening.
Police declined to comment, but the Oklahoma City Police Department confirmed that the officer was driving by when he saw what was going on and stepped in to help. Hearst sister station KOCO reached out to ICE for comment but has not yet heard back.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | July 9 |
| Time | Just after 8:30 a.m. |
| Location | Interstate 44 |
| Detained person | Jesson Baez |
| Citizenship | U.S. citizen |
| Detaining agency | ICE |
| Duration | About five minutes |
| Police action | Officer intervened and released Baez |
Impacts
Immigration attorney and state Sen. Michael Brooks-Jimenez said he has had to deal with similar cases of ICE identifying one person as deportable then detaining others as "collateral damage." He said, "Even American citizens, unfortunately, in this climate, aren't always safe."
Brooks-Jimenez said he has had clients who are American citizens charged in federal court for assaulting a federal officer when they tried to ask questions. In one case, an agent chipped the man's tooth. He also said ICE had deported necessary witnesses, so the prosecution couldn't go forward.
The attorney said he doesn't think instances like these are going to stop. He advised people to be careful and said it's fair to answer questions about name and date of birth if asked by law enforcement.
Future Outlook
Scenario analysis: The possibilities below are not certain predictions.
If ICE continues its current practices, similar detentions of U.S. citizens could occur, according to Brooks-Jimenez. He said he doesn't think instances like these are going to stop.
If more body camera videos are released, public scrutiny may increase, potentially leading to policy changes. However, ICE has not yet responded to requests for comment, so their official position remains unclear.
If legal challenges arise, courts could clarify the limits of ICE authority in detaining U.S. citizens. But without further evidence, the future trajectory remains uncertain.
Source: kmbc.com
