Video captures Donna family's detainment by alleged federal agents
Surveillance video captures the moment a group of men stormed a family's property in the Donna area.
They jumped the fence before detaining two people at the home.
The man who provided the video to Channel 5 News claims the men didn't identify themselves, but he believes they were immigration authorities.
"Then I just turned around, and I see like 15 guys jumping the fence," homeowner Humberto Garcia said.
These were scary moments for Garcia as he watched at least a dozen men, some in tactical gear, jump the fence of his family's property.
Garcia says it happened on January 9 and escalated quickly.
"Then I was like, 'get out of my property. Give me the search warrant,' and they just started attacking me," Garcia said.
The video shows Garcia being thrown to the ground. He says one of them pulled a gun on him, all while his parents and younger sisters were inside their home near South Victoria Road and Stites Road.
"When they saw me, my two sisters came out, and they closed the door and my younger sister was like, 'why are you doing that to him?'" Garcia said.
Garcia says the men were in unmarked vehicles, never showed a warrant, and refused to answer his questions. He is a U.S. citizen, but his parents are not. He says both of them were in the process of getting their citizenship.
Garcia claims the agents went inside his home and took his mother and father.
"I only saw when they took my dad because they put him in the same van as I was in," Garcia said.
Since the incident, Garcia has heard from his mom. She said she's being held in a detention center in Raymondville, but currently, Garcia doesn't know where his father is being held.
"My dad, we don't have no information about him at the moment," Garcia said.
Now, Garcia is caring for his four younger siblings, while trying to figure out how to help his parents.
"You get stressed a lot, yeah, because of the bills, and then you want to get a lawyer and more bills," Garcia said.
A local criminal defense attorney not involved in this case says entering a private, fenced property without a warrant is generally not allowed and could be a violation of constitutional protections.
"It's not okay for officers to just enter your home and jump a fence like that. If the fence is locked, it usually requires a warrant to jump it unless there's something called exigent circumstances," attorney Christopher Cavazos said.
Cavazos says those exceptions are limited to emergency situations.
"If someone is being murdered in the house, and they hear, they get a call, 'hey, this lady is getting beat up by her husband,' for sure. So, there's no blanket exception where nobody can jump the fence," Cavazos said.
Channel 5 News reached out to ICE on Monday and received a response on Thursday saying the agency is still working on the case.
As the family waits for answers, Garcia says the emotional toll continues to grow.
"You're not even safe at your house anymore after this. You can't even be safe at your home," Garcia said.
Watch the video above for the full story.