Latest news with #RaulIcal
New York Post
01-05-2025
- New York Post
ICE nabs migrant hiding in tree
An illegal immigrant was busted by immigration agents in Texas after trying to hide up a tree for around nine hours. Guatemalan national Raul Ical, 29, fled into the backyard of a house in San Antonio on April 29 after fleeing a traffic stop by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), KSAT reports. NY Post reporter Anthony Blair shares this story.
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Miami Herald
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Man facing deportation stays in tree for hours surrounded by ICE, TX agents say
ICE agents waited at the bottom of a tree for hours after a Guatemalan national facing deportation climbed up it in an attempt to escape authorities, Texas news outlets report. The man, 29-year-old Raul Ical, was in a vehicle pulled over by authorities on Tuesday, April 29, on San Antonio's west side, KSAT reported. During the traffic stop, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials say Ical ran into the backyard of a nearby home, then went up a tree. This was the beginning of an hours-long standoff involving negotiators and a ladder, KENS reported. Despite warm weather and no water, Ical refused to come down. However, after six hours, negotiators persuaded him to leave the tree, and he was taken into custody, WOAI reported. Officials say Ical was deported from the U.S. in 2013, but he came back, the station reported. He is facing a charge of illegal reentry after deportation. The incident caught attention in San Antonio and on social media, including with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. 'You can run, but you can't hide,' Noem said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. '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.'
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'If you are here illegally, ICE will find you, arrest and deport you': Illegal immigrant busted after hiding in tree for almost 9 hours
Illegal immigrant Guatemalan citizen Raul Ical hiding in tree (Image Credit: X) An illegal immigrant, who was trying to hide in a tree for almost nine hours, finally got busted by immigration agents, stating, "If you are here illegally, ICE will find you, arrest you, and deport." Guatemalan citizen Raul Ical , aged 29, sought refuge in a San Antonio residence's backyard on Tuesday morning after evading an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) traffic inspection, according to KSAT. He ascended a tree, with footage documenting his elevated position while ICE officials maintained their position below. Officials attempted tree ascents twice to conduct discussions with Ical before he descended at 7 pm — approximately nine hours after his initial climb at 10 am, according to local residents who spoke to KENS5. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem commented on the unusual escape attempt, stating: "You can run, but you can't hide. 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." Ical faces federal criminal charges for unlawful re-entry into the US, following his previous deportation 12 years ago, ICE confirmed. "Ical previously entered the United States unlawfully on March 27, 2013, and was subsequently removed to Guatemala on April 24, 2013," stated ICE officials. The timing of his recent re-entry into the US remains unclear. The specific details regarding the initial traffic stop remain undisclosed. During the unusual confrontation, activists gathered near the house in western San Antonio, offering guidance to the concealed migrant. "You don't have to sign anything," Jose Montoya, an activist with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, called out to Ical after his descent, as reported by the New York Times.
Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Can you spot what caught the attention of ICE agents in this Texas backyard tree?
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.
New York Post
30-04-2025
- New York Post
Illegal immigrant busted by ICE agents after hiding in tree for over six hours
An illegal immigrant was busted by immigration agents after he was spotted trying to hide up a tree for more than six hours. Guatemalan national Raul Ical, 29, scaled the tree after fleeing from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop in San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday, KSAT reports. Raul Ical hid in the tree for six hours. KSAT Raul Ical is a Guatemalan national. KSAT Bizarre video showed him high up the tree as ICE agents waited below. He was finally brought into custody after at least six hours up the tree. Ical is facing federal criminal charges for illegal re-entry into the US after he was previously deported 12 years ago, according to ICE. 'Ical previously entered the United States unlawfully on March 27, 2013, and was subsequently removed to Guatemala on April 24, 2013,' ICE said in a statement. It isn't known exactly when he re-entered the US.
