Another day, another ICE brutalism incident. Since Donald Trump‘s immigration crackdown began, people have been in unrest as agents turn up unannounced, sometimes leading to wrongful deportations. Now, a new incident unfolded when Christian Jimenez, 17, was surrounded by the agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement while driving his father’s vehicle.
According to Oregon Live, the incident occurred around 12:30 pm local time on Friday, during the teenager’s lunch break. Jimenez, who is a senior at McMinnville High School in Oregon, was driving his father’s car when ICE agents surrounded him, as reported by his older brother, Cesar Jimenez.
The 17-year-old immediately told the officers that he was, in fact, a United States citizen. However, one of the agents still went ahead with smashing the window on his side. Even after he insisted he was a U.S. citizen, agents went ahead with the arrest. A video has been shared by his brother, where Jimenez can be reportedly heard repeatedly claiming that he is an American. However, an agent replied with “Get out of the car,” and “I don’t care.”
Absolutely horrific. ICE detained and abducted a minor—a high school student—who the family identified as a US citizen.
ICE is terrorizing our communities—I’m fighting for answers and accountability. This is just wrong. https://t.co/ZWUdpzeg3M
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) November 24, 2025
According to Cesar, his younger brother was taken to a detention center in South Portland. He was held there for hours and then released around 7 pm that day. Since they couldn’t detain him, they are trying to charge him with “interference or obstruction of investigation,” as revealed by his older brother.
Christian’s arrest sparked massive backlash, especially in his community, which all came together in his support. As reported by KGW-TV, thousands of people took to the streets in McMinnville to protest against his wrongful arrest by ICE.
In a message to parents, McMinnville High School Superintendent Kourtney Ferrua also confirmed Jimenez’s detention. According to her, he was indeed off campus for lunch and is a US citizen.
Christian Jimenez, a 17-year-old U.S. citizen, was unlawfully detained by ICE during school hours. His family is facing financial hardship after this traumatic event. Please consider donating or sharing to support their fight for justice. Every bit helps. https://t.co/B3TAO2DfJo
— John Kane (@Tortured_Verse) November 24, 2025
“The experience of an emotional event such as this one can have an impact on all of our students,” Ferrua wrote in the statement addressing the families. She emphasized that the school is strict about allowing anyone without a legitimate business to enter the campus during school hours. In addition, students are only released to authorized adults.
“Our goal is to keep our schools running as a safe and predictable routine, which is in the best interests of all of our students,” she wrote.
Christian’s arrest was only one of the six arrests in McMinnville, Dundee, and Newberg on Friday, according to KGW. Miriam Vargas Corona, executive director of Unidos Bridging Community, confirmed that five other arrests, another one in Newberg on Thursday, also took place.
According to rights groups, Jimenez’s case is one of many in a broader ICE operation. Only this week, two other people were arrested for recording officers.
