HOUSTON – Before dawn on Halloween, families in southwest Houston experienced chaos during a federal ICE operation.
EN ESPANOL: Hombre de Houston dice que agentes enmascarados lo rociaron con gas pimienta durante una operación de ICE
Among those affected was Erik Cornejo, a lifelong Houstonian and U.S. citizen, who says masked agents surrounded him and sprayed him with mace without warning.
“I was in the parking lot and noticed a lot of unmarked vehicles,” Erik said. “They just closed my path. One came to my window and started spraying me with mace. He never identified himself. He never asked for my ID.”
He described how the spray filled his truck, covering the dashboard and windshield. His eyes burned as he called 911 for help. “I lost my vision. I dialed 911 and asked for help through HPD,” he said. “I was scared — scared for my life.”
Erik said police officers who arrived initially refused to give him a report number. It was only days later, with the help of attorney Bianca Santorini, that he obtained one.
That same morning, FIEL Houston reported several similar encounters involving families before sunrise. Nico was stopped on the sidewalk while walking to work, Victor was pulled from his truck outside his apartment, and an 82-year-old driver transporting adults with disabilities had his van struck during the operation.
Santorini, who arrived at the crash site moments later, said, “There was not a citation issued — only an incident report for a crash that they gave to the 82-year-old driver.” She also recognized one of the black trucks at the scene as the same type she had seen earlier in the Club Creek neighborhood.
When asked if he had a criminal record, Erik said, “No, my record is clean. I’m a U.S. citizen — they had no reason to even be speaking with me.” He speculated that agents may have mistaken him for an immigrant, saying, “They never asked me anything. They just sprayed me.”
Since the incident, Erik said he has been afraid to leave his home. “Every day I go outside, I look behind my back. I need to see if there’s a car following me. I don’t feel safe.”
In response, ICE told KPRC 2 News that FIEL’s claims were false. “No U.S. citizens have been detained by ICE in Houston,” the agency said. “On October 31, ICE conducted targeted, intelligence-based operations. A van with a suspicious registration refused to stop and crashed into an ICE vehicle.” ICE said it reported the crash to Houston police and filed a report.
According to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, ICE currently holds about 66,000 detainees, nearly half without criminal charges or convictions — the highest level ever recorded.
FIEL said several people taken during the Club Creek operation were transferred to a detention facility in Tyler, Texas, more than three hours from their families.
Erik shared what he wants people to understand: “If this happened to me — and I’m a U.S. citizen — imagine what happens to the people they call aliens. They’re human too.”
FIEL says more videos from that morning will soon be released publicly. ICE maintains the operation was lawful and denies detaining any U.S. citizens.