ICE agents claimed a Venezuelan man, Gabriel Hurtado-Cariaco, tried to choke them, but video shows ICE agents are doing the chocking in Bellevue, Nebraska, reports Nebraska Public Media:
Gabriel Hurtado-Cariaco, 31, was referred to by DHS as a “criminal illegal alien” and a “known Tren de Aragua terrorist.” The agency said he “violently attacked an ICE agent” by slamming her head into the ground and attempting to choke her to death.
At a preliminary hearing, a Homeland Security agent and a federal prosecutor said Hurtado-Cariaco received “special forces-type training” in the Venezuelan military and may have been involved in “killing people, hurting people, [and] committing human rights violations.”
Under scrutiny, much of the government narrative crumbled.
Hurtado-Cariaco sought asylum at the border in June 2023, and was paroled into the U.S. in 2024. He was granted work authorization and had an upcoming immigration court date.
During a credible fear interview conducted in El Paso, Texas, he said he deserted the Venezuelan military because of disagreements with the Maduro regime and fled out of fear of retaliation.
Two bystander videos of his arrest showed that he resisted being detained, at times pushing against the two agents who attempted to subdue him, but did not actively attack either of them.
Prosecutors admitted that Hurtado-Cariaco had not choked the female officer as previously claimed, chalking it up to a “misperception” from the agent who wrote the affidavit that led to Hurtado-Cariaco’s arrest.
Initially arrested and later indicted on charges of attempted murder of a federal officer, Hurtado-Cariaco pleaded guilty on Thursday to one count of forcibly resisting arrest causing bodily injury as part of a plea agreement. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison – most of which he has already served, since he has been behind bars since his arrest.
(Source: Nebraska Public Media)