A young father who has lived in the United States since childhood was detained by an immigration agent allegedly posing as a customer at a tire shop, according to his fiancée. She said he has no criminal record.
Christopher Ruiz de Jesus, 26, was arrested by ICE on Saturday while working at TOS Wheels and Tires in Lynnwood, Washington.
Video from the shop’s surveillance system, later posted online by his fiancée, Jade Gaspar, appears to show a plainclothes officer entering the business.
The man approached Ruiz de Jesus at the counter and presented himself as an ordinary customer, according to the footage.
Gaspar told FOX 13 that the agent claimed his vehicle was experiencing trouble and asked Ruiz de Jesus to step outside to assist him.
A second camera, positioned outside, shows the agent walking with Ruiz de Jesus across the parking lot before the 26-year-old is surrounded by several masked officers wearing tactical equipment.
The officer who appeared to begin the encounter then put his mask back on as the young father was taken into custody.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrest to Our News Outlet. Officials said Ruiz de Jesus entered the United States from Mexico without authorization, although they said the date and location of his entry were unknown.
Christopher Ruiz de Jesus, 26, is pictured with his fiancée, Jade Gaspar. She said he was born in Mexico but has lived in the United States since he was five.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows masked ICE agents taking Ruiz de Jesus into custody outside TOS Wheels and Tires in Lynnwood, Washington, on October 17.
Gaspar claimed that an undercover ICE agent entered the tire shop while Ruiz de Jesus was working and posed as a customer seeking help with a car problem.
A DHS spokesperson said Ruiz de Jesus remains in ICE detention as he awaits removal proceedings.
Gaspar, who said she has been in a relationship with Ruiz de Jesus for 12 years, described the arrest as a sudden action that caught him off guard.
“You can see innocence in him, like just doing his job. He didn’t know,” she told the television station.
DHS rejected her account, however, stating that claims the officers failed to identify themselves or display law enforcement credentials were “FALSE.”
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The agency also said that detention could be avoided, urging people who are in the country illegally to arrange their departure through the CBP Home app.
According to the spokesperson, the federal government is offering eligible undocumented migrants $3,000 along with a free flight if they choose to self-deport.
“We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the US the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return,” the official said.
Gaspar said Ruiz de Jesus moved to the United States when he was five. He had worked at the Lynnwood tire shop for six years, including as its manager, and has no criminal history, she said.
The footage shows the alleged undercover agent speaking with Ruiz de Jesus at the counter. Gaspar said Ruiz de Jesus had managed the tire shop for six years.
Ruiz de Jesus followed the agent outside to assist with his alleged car issue
An exterior camera showed the agent leading the young father through the parking lot. Ruiz de Jesus was then apprehended by a group of masked ICE agents. The agent who approached him in the store could be seen putting his mask on as the Mexican national was being detained
Ruiz de Jesus and Gaspar have a son who will turn two in December. She says his detainment has been hard on the little boy
He was also the main household provider for her and their soon-to-be two-year-old son, she said.
Gaspar revealed in a GoFundMe campaign that their lease is up at the end of October. She said she and the toddler could soon be without a place to live.
‘We are suffering traumatic change right now,’ she wrote.
‘Our lease is up at the end of the month, we’re looking for a place to live. He was the main income source the was head of the house.’
She is also looking to retain a lawyer to help bring Ruiz de Jesus home.
She added that the situation has been hard on their son, who doesn’t understand when his father will be home.
‘He’s like walking around saying, “Dad, dad!,”‘ Gaspar told FOX 13. ‘That’s so hard.’
