A Rochester man who claims ICE agents assaulted him is now facing federal charges.
57-year-old Hipolito Mateo told reporters he was pepper-sprayed, tased, and pushed down, fracturing his wrist.
It all happened as agents swarmed a group of vehicles on Northland Avenue Monday morning, as he and some co-workers were headed to a job site.
Mateo was born in Rochester, and he says the men with him were Puerto Ricans with proper paperwork.
A statement from ICE claims they were looking to arrest 3 Venezuelan migrants, and they accuse Mateo of helping one of them escape.
Statement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement:
On May 18, ICE officers conducted a targeted enforcement operation in Rochester, New York to arrest three illegal aliens from Venezuela, one with a conviction for criminal trespass and all in violation of U.S. Immigration law. During the lawful vehicle stop, a U.S. citizen with an extensive criminal history including endangering the welfare of a child, criminal sale of control substances, assault, falsify business records, grand larceny and offering a false instrument to file, helped facilitate the alien’s escape and assaulted an ICE officer on the scene. The man refused to follow lawful commands to comply. Our law enforcement followed their training to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve the situation in a manner that prioritizes the safety of the public and our officers.
Assaulting a federal law enforcement officer is a felony and a federal crime. Our brave law enforcement is grappling with a 1,300% increase in assaults and a staggering 8,000% uptick in death threats as they put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and gang members. Anyone who assaults or obstructs law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.