ICE Agent Caught on Camera Kicking California Dad During Arrest Outside His Home

Home security cameras in Wilmington, California, captured the moment a federal immigration officer aimed an assault-style rifle at Jose Campollo, 56, before kicking him in the stomach and taking him into custody.

Campollo, a father of five who has lived in the U.S. for three decades, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shortly after returning from dropping off his grandson at school.

Family Says Arrest Was Brutal, Unfair

In the video, Campollo’s wife can be seen screaming for help behind the family’s gate as the officer points his weapon at her husband. Another video filmed by Campollo’s son shows him demanding that agents produce a warrant and identify themselves.

“It broke my heart just seeing my dad kicked like that,” said Jose Campollo Jr., speaking to NBC Los Angeles. “I felt useless, like I couldn’t do anything.”

The family says they are struggling to find a lawyer amid a surge in immigration cases. They believe Campollo’s detention may be tied to a 1994 charge that was later dismissed.

ICE’s Response

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) painted a starkly different picture, calling Campollo a “sexual predator” who had entered the U.S. illegally three times.

“His criminal history includes rape and driving without a license,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. Officials noted that Campollo was previously deported in 1995 and voluntarily departed again in 2006 before reentering unlawfully.

Broader Context

Campollo’s arrest comes just days after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling that gave ICE agents expanded powers to stop and detain people in Los Angeles without “reasonable suspicion.” In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that the ruling allows the government to seize “anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low-wage job.”

The DHS has since pledged to “flood the zone” in Los Angeles with enforcement actions. Earlier this summer, President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard and Marines to the city after large-scale protests erupted over immigration sweeps.

Campollo is currently being held at a detention center in San Bernardino County while his family seeks legal help.