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Federal immigration officials said a combative illegal immigrant whose head slammed into a brick wall during a caught-on-video scuffle “fell” as he tried to fight off agents — after Long Island Democrats accused ICE of roughing him up.
At issue is the Jan. 5 arrest of 35-year-old Isai Santos Caceres in Hempstead, with dramatic video showing the handcuffed man’s head slamming into a brick wall — which critics blamed on the agents.
No so, according to the feds.
“During the encounter, Caceres tried to evade arrest and fled on foot,” a spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement to The Post. “As officers caught up with him, he became physically combative, refused lawful commands, and assaulted law enforcement.
“Even after officers placed him in restraints, Caceres continued to resist and tried to kick officers in the legs,” the statement said. “During the struggle, the illegal alien fell into the side of the building. Once Caceres was fully secured, law enforcement offered to call an ambulance and provide medical attention, but he refused medical care.
“Evading and resisting arrest is not only dangerous but a federal crime.”
The agency has not said why Caceres was arrested nor provided details of his case.
But the disturbing footage prompted a backlash from activists and Democrats on the island.
“A handcuffed man’s head being driven into a brick wall, followed by bystanders being left to manage the medical response, is unacceptable,” Nassau County Legislator Viviana Russel said over the weekend.
“When individuals with minimal training are deployed into our neighborhoods carrying firearms, the consequences can be severe,” she said of the ICE agents. “Our community deserves better.”
The clip of the arrest outside a Hempstead Village supermarket also irked Islip Forward, a community based civic advocacy group on Long Island.
“Agents used [Caceres’] head as a battering ram into a brick wall,” the group said. “This is not normal.”
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has been a staunch supporter of President Trump’s crackdown on immigrants in the US.
Last year, Blakeman signed a pact with ICE to cooperate on operations in the county, including an agreement to free up jail cells at the East Meadow jail.
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