Teen Says ICE Agent Told Him 'I Don't Give a Damn' After He Said He Was US Citizen

Two American teenagers say Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pepper-sprayed and punched them as they drove to hand in Marine Corps enlistment papers, detaining them for hours despite telling officers they were US citizens.

The incident unfolded near Santos Livas Elementary School in Alamo, Texas, and has reignited questions about ICE conduct during enforcement operations.

What Happened at the School

To recall, the pair were on their way to submit paperwork to join the Marines when they came across ICE agents arresting parents outside the school. According to Telemundo, the teenagers began filming from a distance, and agents then targeted them, using force and chemical spray.

Video circulating online appears to show agents pulling one teen from a vehicle and striking him repeatedly while he was face-down on the pavement. The person recording can be heard shouting that the youths are minors.

Luis Ochoa, 17, told Telemundo he informed agents he was a citizen but was told, 'I don't give a damn... Your parents can't help you now.' He said both teens were held in ICE custody for nearly eight hours before being released.

Ochoa's mother said the detention was one of the most agonising moments of her life, fearing her son could be sent to Mexico. She added that he is now reconsidering enlistment, asking, 'How are they supposed to serve a country that doesn't even uphold their basic rights?'

Enlistment Plans and Wider Context

For context, enlistment in the Marine Corps requires applicants to meet age, citizenship and documentation standards, with 17-year-olds needing parental consent. The formal point of commitment comes with signing DD Form 4 and taking the Oath of Enlistment, after which recruits enter the Delayed Entry Program before shipping to basic training.

The Alamo incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of ICE tactics. In Houston, grand jury proceedings have begun in a separate case involving a fatal ICE shooting.

In San Diego, elected leaders condemned an ICE arrest near a school, and a lawsuit alleges federal agencies are surveilling and intimidating people who observe immigration enforcement.

IBTimes UK cannot independently verify every detail of the Texas encounter, including the exact sequence of force used, so take everything lightly until official records or agency statements emerge.

What is clear from multiple reports is that the teenagers say they were citizens, that they were detained for hours, and that at least one was struck while on the ground.

Official Response and Unanswered Questions

Nothing is confirmed yet so everything should be taken with a grain of salt regarding motive or whether internal reviews are underway. The accounts rely on the teenagers' statements, family interviews and video shared online, rather than court filings or an ICE press release.

Still, the core allegation is stark: armed federal officers used force against two minors who say they were simply recording an arrest and then identified themselves as citizens. Whether that footage prompts an investigation, policy change or internal discipline is, for now, an open question.

And if the teens do walk away from the Marines, it would mark a bitter irony. They set out to swear an oath to defend the Constitution, only to say they were battered by the very state they hoped to serve.