Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said deputies striking a man during an immigration operation capitured on video was justified because the individual was allegedly resisting and fighting officers.
The video shows a man, identified by Burch as Henry Castilo, in a neon work vest being struck in the face as he is being held down by two deputies during a joint operation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday, the sheriff said during a Wednesday press conference. A representative of ICE was invited but was not at the press event.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Burch said the incident began after deputies attempted to pull over the driver of a work van for an alleged traffic violation but the person attempted to flee.
After pulling onto the side of the road, four occupants of the van ran. Three of the people were detained quickly, Burch said.
“The fourth individual, Henry Castilo, decided he wanted to fight the deputies,” Burch said. “He was tased twice, which was ineffective, and so they went to a physical altercation where he assaulted the deputy. (He) grabbed (the deputy) around the neck and the vest. And as that fight continued, a second deputy came in to assist.”
Burch said that is when Castilo was struck with “open hand strikes” and “closed hand strikes” to get him to submit and remove his arm from underneath his body.
When asked if he wished the deputies had handled the situation in another manner, Burch said, “No, I don’t wish they did anything different.”
“If you comply, this isn’t going to happen,” Burch said. “And other individuals, yes, they ran, but they complied once the deputies caught them and there was no further engagement. But if you fight my deputies, we’re going to win.”
Castilo was charged with resisting arrest and attempting to elude while the other individuals were charged with resisting arrest.
Immigration advocates contend that enforcement operations and traffic stops are contingent upon “racial profiling,” and officials are often specifically targeting work vans looking for undocumented people.
AL.com asked Burch if he was aware of individuals besides Hispanic people that have been arrested in these operations and, aside from one incident with a Russian individual, the sheriff said, “I really couldn’t tell you, I don’t keep up with each and every stat.”
South Alabama has been a hotbed of immigration raids as both Mobile and Baldwin County sheriff‘s offices are part of the 287g agreement which gives deputies the authority to perform certain immigration-related duties.
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