WATCH: ICE Arrests Suspected Tren De Aragua Gang Members In Tense Clip

Federal immigration officers forcefully detained two suspected members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in Spokane, Washington, after they refused to exit their vehicle during a tense confrontation caught on camera.

The video, recorded by Kayla Somarriba, shows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents surrounding a car occupied by Jeison Ruiz-Rodriguez and his brother, Cesar Ruiz-Rodriguez. The brothers, who were reportedly on their way to court for a felony harassment charge, refused to comply with ICE’s orders. Agents then smashed the vehicle’s windows and forcibly removed them.

According to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, the men were arrested in December after allegedly threatening to kill someone and firing a gun outside an apartment complex. ICE later identified them as suspected members of Tren de Aragua, a notorious transnational criminal organization.

“NO, NO, YOU CAN’T!” Somarriba can be heard screaming in the footage as ICE agents break through the car windows and pull the suspects from the vehicle.

WATCH:

NEW: ICE agents break through car windows belonging to alleged Tren de Aragua gang members after they refused to exit their car in Spokane, Washington.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office says brothers Jeison Ruiz-Rodriguez and Cesar Ruiz-Rodriquez threatened to… pic.twitter.com/rNP9vv2iZY

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 18, 2025

“I would describe it personally as horrific. I don’t see any reason why the tactics that they used needed to be used,” Jeison Ruiz-Rodriguez’s attorney, Public Defender Kyle Madsen told KOMO News. He acknowledged, however, that federal law allows ICE to use force if necessary when making an arrest.

Somarriba told KOMO that she and the brothers did not believe they had to comply with ICE’s orders because agents did not present a warrant. “We know our rights,” she said.

An ICE spokesperson defended the agency’s actions, stating that the men “failed to obey a lawful order to exit a vehicle, which resulted in forced entry by ICE officers.”

Madsen, despite condemning the arrest, admitted that ICE had the legal authority to break the car windows. “I have heard a lot of reports, and I guess I would agree to a certain extent that law enforcement has, and specifically ICE has the ability to say, break your windows,” he said.

Madsen insisted his client is not affiliated with Tren de Aragua.

“Absolutely not, based on what I have seen, what I understand about him, and based on all the information that the state has given me as a part of discovery, it appears that he has no prior contacts with law enforcement, certainly nothing meaningful,” he said.

“Under the Keep Washington Working Act, local law enforcement is precluded from gathering immigration information or sharing information with federal law enforcement agencies unless there is a specific nexus between the underlying criminal allegation and some sort of immigration issue,” Madsen argued. “I think for our case, as it appeared to me, there was no link between any sort of gang-related activity or anything having to do with immigration.”

A hearing on Madsen’s motion to dismiss the criminal charges against Jeison Ruiz-Rodriguez is set for March 27. ICE, however, maintains that Jeison was already flagged for deportation and should have remained in custody.

Both Jeison and Cesar Ruiz-Rodriguez were released on bail last month but are now being held in the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma pending deportation proceedings.