A shocking scene unfolded in Wilmington on Friday when federal immigration agents detained a father of five outside his home, with one officer caught on video kicking him on the sidewalk while pointing a gun.
The man, identified as 56-year-old Jose Campollo, was returning home in his work truck when ICE agents pulled him over. Video captured from a nearby home shows a tense standoff: Campollo can be seen speaking with an armed agent, who at one point thrusts a large firearm in his direction and kicks him as he’s forced onto the ground. Moments later, Campollo is taken into custody as his stunned family looks on.
Jose Campollo, 56, arrived in the U.S. from Guatemala more than 30 years ago, his loved ones say. https://t.co/m7Boxs4Mvl
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) September 15, 2025
Another angle recorded by his son, Jose Jr., captured the raw chaos as family members pleaded with agents. In the footage, Jose Jr. demands to see a warrant, while a woman off-camera can be heard shouting that Campollo “isn’t a criminal.”
The emotional video also shows the son confronting an agent who appears to try to calm things down, though the family says his actions spoke louder than his words.
“They kicked him, yeah,” Jose Jr. said later. “I honestly didn’t see that until my little brother showed me the footage, and it broke my heart. Just seeing my dad being kicked like that, I felt useless, like I couldn’t do anything.”
The family also alleges the agent pointed his weapon directly at Jose Jr. and threatened to fire. “In that moment, I didn’t know what else to do except record everything that was happening,” he told Telemundo 52. The videos, now circulating widely, have fueled anger across the neighborhood, with many calling the arrest excessive and unnecessary.
Campollo’s past adds another wrinkle to the story. According to his son, he was once arrested back in 1994 for an unspecified violation, but the alleged victim in that case testified he wasn’t the suspect. He was released and never charged. Despite that, the family says ICE continues to hold the decades-old incident against him.
As of Friday, Campollo was placed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where he awaits possible deportation proceedings. His loved ones are now scrambling to find legal help. “We’re looking for an attorney, someone who can fight for him,” Jose Jr. said. “This isn’t justice.”
The arrest has sparked outrage in the community, with neighbors questioning why agents resorted to violence in front of children and why a firearm was aimed at an unarmed father. Advocacy groups argue the case highlights the often heavy-handed tactics used in immigration enforcement and say Campollo’s treatment underscores the need for urgent reform.
For his children, the images of their father on the ground are now seared into memory. “It broke us to watch,” one family member said. “He’s a hardworking man, a father of five, not some criminal.”
As the videos continue to spread online, the Campollo family’s fight is just beginning. With their father sitting behind bars in Los Angeles and the threat of deportation looming, they are hoping the public outcry will help keep him home, and safe, with the family that depends on him.
