SAN ANTONIO – Video shared by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shows someone ICE says is an immigrant ramming into agency vehicles in a San Antonio parking lot, injuring an officer.
ICE and Gov. Greg Abbott said in X posts that the driver was an immigrant.
“Yesterday, in Texas, a criminal illegal alien tried to run over our officer — smashing vehicles and leaving one officer injured and sent to the hospital,” the agency said Wednesday.
Video shared by Fox News and reshared by ICE appears to show officers in a Walmart parking lot at 12639 Blanco Road on the North Side. The officers are seen telling a person to come out of a vehicle.
The person in the vehicle then drives forward and backward in an attempt to flee, hitting two unmarked vehicles. ICE said officers were driving the vehicles that were struck.
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The video shows the officers pointing guns at the driver, repeating that they “come out of the car.” An officer then opens the driver-side door and pins the person to the ground.
“Organized groups are obstructing immigration enforcement across the country, putting officers and law abiding civilians at risk,” Abbott said Wednesday.
KSAT has reached out to local and state officials for more details about the video. Spokespeople with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and San Antonio Police Department said they did not have any information.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said troopers “assisted with the inventory and towing of the suspect vehicle after the incident.”
In a KSAT Q&A on Tuesday, KSAT asked Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones about ICE’s presence in San Antonio and if her office was told more officers may be coming to the city.
“We’re not always notified of these operations. ... We all are trying to balance public trust and public safety,” Jones said.
The mayor said there are nearly 100,000 undocumented people in the San Antonio community.
The office of District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears, whose district includes the Walmart location, said they want to “assure our community that the safety of all residents remains a top priority.”
“First and foremost, my thoughts are with the ICE agent who was injured in last night’s troubling incident,” Spears’ office said. “Regardless of anyone’s stance on immigration or their immigration status, violence against law enforcement officers is absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our city.”
“Using a vehicle as a weapon against anyone is especially dangerous,” the statement continued. “These actions put law enforcement officers, bystanders, and the broader public at serious risk and have no place in our community. ... We must address these situations with a commitment to law and order, ensuring that San Antonio remains a place where we resolve differences peacefully and respect those who serve to protect us.”
Alex Svehla, head organizer for advocacy group 50501 SATX, said that without more information he has doubts about the validity of the ICE video.
“ICE agents act surprisingly calm for what is happening when we have primarily seen agents be extremely aggressive in many other instances,” Svehla said. “In light of the recent tragedy with Renee Good it almost seems too on point with the Trump agenda - in particular how agents call out not to get in front of the vehicle. No clear video, picture or name of this arrested person has been released.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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