WASHINGTON (AP) — A 16-year-old U.S. citizen told lawmakers this week that federal immigration agents choked him, hurled slurs and mocked him during the arrest of his father, according to testimony presented at a congressional hearing led by Robert Garcia.
The teen, identified as Arnoldo Bazan of Houston, described the encounter during a bicameral public forum examining alleged abuses by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other Department of Homeland Security personnel.
According to Bazan’s testimony, the incident occurred in October 2025 while he was riding with his father, Arnulfo Bazan Carrillo, who is undocumented, on the way to school. Multiple unmarked vehicles surrounded their car, and masked agents confronted them.
Bazan said he began recording the encounter on his phone as agents rammed their vehicle. When his father attempted to seek help nearby, agents forcibly detained him. Bazan testified that when he intervened, one agent placed him in a chokehold, despite his repeated statements that he was a minor and a U.S. citizen.
“He put me in a chokehold,” Bazan said in testimony reviewed during the hearing. He later sought medical treatment for neck injuries, which were attributed to being beaten and choked, according to congressional materials.
The teen also told lawmakers that agents mocked him while he cried, calling him derogatory names, including saying he was “gay for crying,” and using other slurs. He said agents confiscated his phone after he told them he had recorded the incident.
“I don’t even know when I will see my father again,” Bazan said in his statement, describing ongoing fear and emotional distress following the encounter.
Garcia, the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, questioned Bazan during the hearing and condemned the alleged conduct, framing it as part of broader concerns about immigration enforcement practices affecting children and families.
The hearing, held jointly with Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, included testimony from multiple young people and parents who alleged they were subjected to excessive force, intimidation and unlawful detention by federal agents.
Advocates and lawmakers said the accounts highlight growing concerns about the impact of immigration enforcement on U.S.-born children and mixed-status families. Some witnesses described lasting psychological effects, including anxiety, fear of law enforcement and difficulty focusing in school.
Federal immigration authorities have not publicly responded in detail to the specific allegations raised during the hearing.
