Tenth grader Arnoldo Bazan and his father were getting McDonald’s before school when immigration agents pulled them over. After a pursuit, agents slammed Bazan’s father to the ground and put the teenager in a chokehold. Arnoldo is 16 years old and a U.S. citizen.
“I started screaming with everything I had, because I couldn’t even breathe,” Arnoldo told ProPublica. “I felt like I was going to pass out and die.”
After George Floyd’s murder six years ago, police across the country banned chokeholds and discouraged other moves that can restrict breathing. The federal government joined in too.
But today, officers are once again grabbing civilians’ throats and kneeling on necks. Our investigation found more than 40 cases of immigration agents using banned chokeholds and other moves that can cut off breathing.
Top administration officials defended the officers after we showed them footage of officers using prohibited chokeholds. Federal agents have “followed their training to use the least amount of force necessary,” Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said. Both DHS and the White House lauded the “utmost professionalism” of their agents.
