On Tuesday morning on State Street in New Haven, federal immigration agents in vests and unmarked vehicles boxed in a car and arrested 18-year-old Jaime Diaz-Perez just blocks away from a local courthouse, the New Haven Independent reported.
Federal Agents Arrest Jaime Diaz-Perez on State Street
- Federal immigration agents arrested 18-year-old Jaime Diaz-Perez on State Street on Tuesday after his vehicle was boxed in by unmarked law enforcement cars.
- The arrest occurred shortly after Diaz-Perez left a hearing at the courthouse located at 121 Elm St., following a prior August criminal arrest by local police.
- Conflicting accounts have emerged between federal officials and community organizers regarding whether a passenger interfered with the operation and the level of force used.
Unmarked Vehicles Box Car on State Street
A car traveling south on State Street approached Court Street around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday when three unmarked vehicles, one with flashing law-enforcement lights, blocked its path and forced a stop. Four federal immigration agents wearing vests emerged from the vehicles, while an additional unmarked car and more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived shortly afterward.
The entire sequence lasted less than three minutes, according to video footage recorded by a New Haven Police Department Milestone camera and provided to the New Haven Independent. The footage shows ICE agents opening the rear driver’s side door, pulling Diaz-Perez out, and securing his hands behind his back on the ground before placing him in the back seat of an unmarked vehicle.
Another man, identified as Diaz-Perez’s father, opened the front passenger’s side door and stepped out of the car during the stop, only to be pushed back inside by an agent. The video does not show the father physically interfering with the agents.
Disputed Accounts of Force and Interference
That account was strongly disputed by Catherine John, an organizer with Black and Brown United in Action who was driving the vehicle. She said that agents boxed in the car, broke a rear window to reach Diaz-Perez, and that an agent threw Diaz-Perez’s father when he got out to ask what was happening, causing a head injury.
“That is not true,” John said, noting that the father did not physically interfere.
John Lugo of Unidad Latina en Accion also disputed the federal agency’s written account. “You can see in the video, his father didn’t physically interfere with ICE,” Lugo told the New Haven Independent, adding that the father was treated at a hospital and was in stable condition by Wednesday.
🛑 ICE Grabs 18-Year-Old Assault Defendant Right After His New Haven Court Date 🛑 SUVs box in a car at the crosswalk on State Street in downtown New Haven. Seconds later, a man is on the ground in a cluster of agents at a white SUV. The target is an 18-year-old illegal alien… pic.twitter.com/7exntV587e
The DHS statement did not address the broken window or the allegations concerning the father’s injuries. The agency said that ICE officers are “trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and our officers.”
| Date | Agency / Source | Recorded Event |
|---|---|---|
| January 2022 | Border Patrol / DHS | Diaz-Perez entered the country near Hidalgo, Texas, and was released. |
| Tuesday Morning | New Haven Independent / NHPD Video | ICE executed the downtown State Street arrest following a courthouse hearing. |
Diaz-Perez Attended a Criminal Hearing Near the Courthouse
Diaz-Perez was in New Haven on Tuesday for a scheduled hearing in a pending criminal case at the courthouse at 121 Elm St., rather than an immigration matter. Court records show that New Haven police arrested him on Aug. 30 on charges including first-degree assault, interfering with an officer, and evading responsibility in a crash causing serious injury. He was released after posting a $200,000 bond.
A state law passed in November 2025 restricts civil immigration arrests on courthouse grounds and expands the shielded perimeter around them. However, Rhonda Hebert, a Judicial Branch spokesperson, said that the area near State and Court streets where Tuesday’s arrest unfolded “is not considered court grounds,” meaning ICE was not obligated to notify the court.
Mayor Justin Elicker said that regardless of the pending charges, Diaz-Perez “still deserves due process.”
Following the arrest, Diaz-Perez was transferred to Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Plymouth, Mass., according to ICE’s online detainee locator. DHS said that Diaz-Perez will “receive due process and remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.”
