A Southeast Houston business owner says he witnessed a federal immigration enforcement operation unfold outside his shop early Saturday morning.
HOUSTON — A Southeast Houston business owner says he witnessed a federal immigration enforcement operation unfold outside his shop early Saturday morning — and surveillance cameras caught it all on video.
The incident happened around 6:43 a.m. near the I-45 feeder road and the South Loop. The video, obtained exclusively by KHOU 11 News, shows unmarked vehicles with flashing police lights surrounding a white pickup truck. The car was being pulled over. The video shows the truck slow down and pull into a side street.
As the truck comes to a stop, several men jump out and run. Officers — some in tactical gear and wearing masks — are seen chasing after them. The video shows one officer wearing a police vest falling during the pursuit, allowing the man he was chasing to escape. Another masked officer in army green also falls while running after another suspect.
The owner of the business, who asked to remain anonymous, said Houston police informed him the operation was being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. He said the men were not his employees but he learned.
“These people were simply going to work in the morning,” the owner told KHOU 11. “It was 6 in the morning — they were going to work.”
He said the operation has left many people in the community shaken and afraid.
“This is exactly what people say doesn’t happen — but it is happening,” he added.
The Trump administration has made it clear it intends to continue with it’s mass deportations of undocumented immigrants — not just those with criminal convictions.
“The Trump administration is going to continue the mass deportation that the president promised the American public,” said the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance echoed that statement.
“If you are in this country illegally, you are at risk of deportation.”
The business owner who shared the video said operations like this one have a chilling effect on local communities and small businesses.
“It’s hurting the economy. People saw this and are now even more afraid to go out and go to work. They think they could be next.”
Attorneys who specialize in immigration law urge people to be cautious when approached by unmarked vehicles.
“If a car that’s not clearly marked is trying to stop you, drive to the nearest police station and call 911,” said Immigration Attorney Silvia Mintz. “We don’t advise evading arrest, but we also don’t want people falling victim to criminals pretending to be law enforcement.”
According to the business owner, two men were detained during the operation. Four others managed to escape.
KHOU 11 reached out to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and the Houston Police Department. Both agencies confirmed the operation was not conducted by them. A spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations said they are reviewing the incident but did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
