Cuellar calls for a thorough investigation of ICE's use of force in Alamo
Henry CuellarU.S. representative from Texas and ranking member for Homeland Security appropriations, in a statement to Newsweek
Rep. Henry Cuellar said any use of force by authorities should be thoroughly and immediately investigated and that he had raised his concerns directly with ICE leadership.
“Any use of force by authorities should be thoroughly and immediately investigated. As Ranking Member of Homeland Security Appropriations, I brought up my concerns directly to ICE leadership and look forward to answers on this incident in a timely manner.”
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Where this statement fits
Was ICE's use of force in arresting Luis Ochoa in Alamo, Texas, justified?
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested Luis Ochoa, 17, and a 17-year-old friend in Alamo, Texas, on Sept. 11, 2026. Ochoa says the two stopped to record ICE agents, that he never resisted, that agents pepper-sprayed him and broke his wrist, and that both teenagers are U.S. citizens who were on their way to a Marine recruiter's office. The Department of Homeland Security says the two attempted to obstruct a vehicle stop and followed officers afterward, that one banged on a government vehicle's window and resisted detention, and that officers relied on their training.
Source and context
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About this source
Newsweek report published Sept. 18. It carries a written statement from Rep. Henry Cuellar, quotes an X post by Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, quotes Luis Ochoa's accounts to KRGV and Telemundo, and includes DHS's response. It attributes the teenagers' U.S. citizenship to Teresa Ochoa, the mother of one of them.
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About this source
Report on Rep. Henry Cuellar's Sept. 22 visit to the Rio Grande Valley. It quotes Cuellar on his requests for body camera video from DHS and for an investigation, and it reproduces two DHS statements, one on the Sept. 11 arrests and one on the arrest and removal of Teresa Ochoa Briseño.
Before the quotation
Newsweek reported that Cuellar said he was very concerned by the footage of the arrests.
After the quotation
On Sept. 22, ValleyCentral reported that Cuellar said he had asked DHS for body camera footage of the events that led to Ochoa's arrest and had also requested an investigation.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Cuellar says he is very concerned about the footage, calls for a thorough, immediate investigation and says he looks forward to answers on the incident, but he does not say whether the force was justified.
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More from this case
Read the full caseGonzalez says ICE's continued abuse of power and unnecessary force cannot be normalized
“These are not the values we would ask of future service members who sign up to risk their lives for our families in the name of freedom; we cannot normalize the continued abuse of power, unnecessary use of force, and profiling being deployed by a rogue ICE agency.”Read statement
Bobby Pulido says ICE agents' actions against two Alamo teens were unconstitutional
“I saw a really disturbing video of two young men that, 17 years old, were on their way to sign up for the U.S. Marine Corps. Happened upon an ICE stop, and recorded, which is their Constitutional right, and subsequently were beat up, maced These are young Americans that happened to look Hispanic. This is wrong. To all my conservative friends, this is not conservatism. This is unconstitutional. Our Constitution should mean something, and racial profiling, what they’re doing right now, is just not right. It’s not illegal to record. Something needs to be done”Read statement
Teresa Ochoa says justice must be served against the officers
“Justice must be served — and it must be served against the officers who beat them.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Cuellar calls for a thorough investigation of ICE's use of force in Alamo". First published: 2026-09-26. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/2711-rep-henry-cuellar-said-any-use-of-force