Can you spot what caught the attention of ICE agents in this Texas backyard tree?

Daily Mail​

30-04-2025

An undocumented immigrant spent nearly nine hours hidden in a backyard tree in Texas, desperately trying to evade arrest by ICE agents.
Raul Ical, a 29-year-old Guatemalan native, climbed into a tree on San Antonio's West Side on Tuesday morning, triggering an hours-long stand-off drawing the attention of neighbors, relatives and activists in the neighborhood.
The tense showdown ended with Ical's detainment, and he is now facing criminal charges for illegal re-entry after first being deported in 2013.
'You can run, but you can't hide,' Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a statement to X following the situation.
'Whether in a tree or harbored in an activist judge's house, if you are here illegally, ICE will find you, arrest you, and you will be deported.'
At around 10:30 am Tuesday morning, San Antonio deportation officers and state police pulled over a car with Ical as the passenger, attempting to serve him with what the agency described as a 'criminal warrant'.
Ical, who was on his way to work at the time, frantically texted a relative that he was being 'chased' by ICE agents, San Antonio Express-News reported.
Just minutes later, the 29-year-old man bolted - racing into a nearby backyard and climbing a tree to evade arrest. There, he remained perched in the branches for hours.
The agency said that Ical illegally entered the US in March 2013 and was deported the very next month. He ended up returning to the country, though the exact date remains unknown.
A relative said that Ical had been living in San Antonio for more than two years, according to Express-News. It does not appear as though he has a violent criminal history.
'Like every other immigrant, he's here trying to have a better life for his family,' the unnamed relative told the outlet, adding that he was single and worked both landscaping and construction jobs to support himself and his parents.
News of the standoff rapidly spread throughout the neighborhood as agents tried to persuade Ical to climb down with a ladder they propped up on the trunk - all while dozens of concerned community members began to gather around.
'This is something that concerns me,' Gabriel Rosales, director of Texas chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, told The New York Times about his experience at the scene.
'They are coming into our communities and coming after people that look like us.'
Joel de la Roja, 61, grew worried when he saw a large presence of law enforcement officials around the neighborhood.
'A lot of people in this neighborhood are from Mexico, and they are probably scared, too,' Roja told NYT. 'It seems a bit too much. One man does not need all of these officers after him.'
Chris Rodriguez, 38, heard a helicopter roaring above the neighborhood. He followed the noise on his bicycle.
'It's a sad situation,' he told the outlet.
'This is the first time I see something like this. If it's something where he's a danger to the community, then you understand it. But I think that if he's just undocumented, that's overkill.'
During the hours-long standoff, many residents shouted advice to Ical as agents continued to swarm the backyard on the hot, 89-degree Texas day.
Addressing Ical in Spanish, Express-News reported, one man was heard shouting: 'No te bajes, Raul', or 'Don't come down, Raul'. Later, that same man asked if he wanted an attorney, to which Ical signaled yes.
At around 6:45 pm, Ical began to descend down the ladder but quickly changed his mind - climbing back up after bystanders urged him to stay away from authorities.
'You don't have to sign anything,' Jose Montoya, an activist, yelled to Ical, according to NYT.
Defeated, Ical ultimately surrendered at about 7 pm. He was swiftly handcuffed by authorities, loaded into a white truck and taken away as the crowd watched on.
'Treat him well,' one woman yelled upon his departure, NYT reported. 'Don't sign anything. Don't say anything.'
Tuesday's intense showdown is the latest high-profile example of the Trump administration's aggressive crackdown deportations of undocumented immigrants across the nation.
Early Sunday morning, a total of 114 illegal migrants were dramatically arrested after police officers busted a nightclub in Colorado during a multi-agency enforcement operation with The Rocky Mountain Division of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
The operation itself was part of a probe into drug trafficking, prostitution and crimes of violence taking place in the club, the DEA said.
Authorities made their way to the underground nightclub in Colorado Springs, where Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua is based.
Tren de Aragua, MS-13, and Hell's Angels gang members are known to frequent the underground club. It is unclear how many members were there at the time of the raid, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen said.
More than a dozen active duty service members were also in the building, some as patrons and others working security. The United States Army Criminal Investigation Division is now a part of the investigation into those individuals, Pullen said.
Dramatic video revealed the massive bust operation - including the moment a slew of officers surrounded the building before one of them smashed through a glass window.
Officers were seen with their guns out as they instructed people to put their hands up and surrender.
Many of those detained were not in the country legally and taken into ICE custody. Drugs and weapons were also seized during the operation, the agency said.
Meanwhile, ICE agents arrested nearly 800 illegal immigrants following a statewide crackdown in Florida.
Operation Tidal Wave - a joint effort by ICE agents, Homeland Security and local law enforcement - resulted in officers arresting 780 migrants.
As part of the massive sweep, 275 people were arrested with final orders of removal, meaning a court has mandated that they leave the country already.
A total of 65,682 illegal immigrants were removed within Trump's first 100 days, a Department of Homeland Security official revealed to the Daily Mail.