Three men arrested by ICE in mistaken identity operation in Staten Island
Feb 2026 · Port Richmond, NY, Guatemala

In early February 2026, ICE agents conducted a stakeout operation in Port Richmond, Staten Island, searching for a specific target but mistakenly arrested at least three men who were not the intended subjects. Isaias, 36, from Guatemala, was arrested while agents were looking for a different 25-year-old man from Mexico named Julio. Juan, 21, also from Guatemala, was arrested during the same operation; he had lived in the U.S. for nearly two decades and has two U.S. citizen children. Alejandro, 47, from Mexico, was arrested after leaving a location agents were staking out. Following their arrests, both Isaias and Juan decided to leave the country according to federal court records. Alejandro and Juan both had habeas petitions filed by lawyers challenging the legality of their detention, with a judge ordering Alejandro's release and Juan later being released after filing his petition.
Sources
More incidents in New York
- Brooklyn restaurant owner loses half staff as Haiti TPS endsAug 27, 2026 · Brooklyn, NY
- Guatemalan man restrained by ICE agents inside New York laundromatAug 22, 2026 · NY
- Colombian father detained after ICE ambushes his car in QueensAug 21, 2026 · College Point, NY
- Guatemalan man tackled and detained by ICE while eating outside NY homeAug 21, 2026 · New Rochelle, NY
- ICE detains three men in Syracuse stop, one tasered while resistingAug 20, 2026 · Syracuse, NY
- Mexican man detained by ICE while walking home in New Rochelle, NYAug 20, 2026 · New Rochelle, NY