Virginia LULAC Calls for Accountability Following Reported ICE Arrest in Suffolk

Virginia LULAC is deeply disturbed by reports and video footage depicting the arrest of Victor Perez Martin by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers outside the Sentara BelleHarbour campus in Suffolk, Virginia, on July 6, 2026. According to public reporting and statements made by Mr. Perez Martin's attorney, the arrest involved the use of significant physical force, raising serious questions about whether that force was necessary, reasonable, and consistent with the Department of Homeland Security's own use of force policy. At the time of this statement, ICE had not publicly responded to the specific allegations regarding the level of force used.

On July 6, 2026, a video surfaced showing the arrest of Victor Perez Martin outside the Sentara BelleHarbour campus in Suffolk. According to public reporting, the footage appears to show multiple ICE agents taking Mr. Perez Martin to the ground and repeatedly striking him while attempting to detain him. His attorney has stated that Mr. Perez Martin is a 26-year-old construction worker from Newport News who came to the United States from Guatemala in 2021, has no known criminal convictions, and suffered physical and emotional trauma during the encounter. His attorney has since filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention while seeking judicial review of his immigration case. (Brown, Video shows agents punching, kneeing man during immigration arrest in Suffolk – the virginian-pilot 2026)

Every person within the United States, regardless of immigration status, deserves to be treated with dignity, humanity, and respect for their constitutional and legal rights. The rule of law exists not only to empower government agencies but also to restrain them. It requires accountability, transparency, and adherence to clearly established standards whenever government officials exercise the extraordinary authority entrusted to them.

The Department of Homeland Security's own Department Policy on the Use of Force requires law enforcement officers to use only the force that is objectively reasonable in light of the facts and circumstances confronting them at the time force is applied. The policy further states that physical force must be discontinued when resistance ceases or when the incident is under control. These standards are fundamental to maintaining public confidence in our justice system. Whenever publicly available evidence raises legitimate questions about whether those standards were followed, an independent, transparent review is not merely appropriate, it is essential. (Department of Homeland Security, 2023 update to the department policy on use of Force | Homeland Security 2023)

Virginia LULAC recognizes that enforcing federal immigration law is a lawful responsibility of the federal government. However, that authority is not without limits. Every enforcement action must be carried out in accordance with the Constitution, federal law, agency policy, and the principles of due process that define our nation and distinguish it from governments where unchecked power is the norm. The ability of families to live, work, worship, seek medical care, and participate in civic life without unnecessary fear is fundamental to healthy communities.

Recent months have seen a significant increase in immigration enforcement operations across the United States and throughout Virginia. According to an analysis of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data obtained by WHRO Public Media through the Deportation Data Project's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) released dataset, ICE made nearly 11,000 arrests in Virginia between President Donald Trump's January 2025 inauguration and early March 2026. Communities across the Commonwealth have expressed growing concern over highly visible workplace operations, courthouse enforcement, neighborhood arrests, and other enforcement activities. Parents, teachers, and community members have reported that families are increasingly fearful of sending their children to school, calling emergency services, shopping for groceries, or participating in everyday community life because they worry about becoming caught in an immigration enforcement action. (Manzanares, Immigration enforcement in Virginia has risen sharply in the last year 2026)

That fear extends far beyond immigrants. It ultimately affects all Americans because fear and uncertainty weaken public trust, civic participation, and confidence in our government and the institutions that exist to protect the people they serve, not to oppress them. Mixed-status families, lawful permanent residents, naturalized American citizens, and U.S.-born children all experience the emotional consequences of aggressive immigration enforcement. When communities begin avoiding hospitals, schools, churches, or other essential public spaces out of fear, the effects are felt by everyone. Public trust is strengthened when government authority is exercised with transparency, accountability, and respect for the constitutional rights and dignity of every individual.

This incident comes less than a year after another tragic immigration enforcement-related event in Hampton Roads. In October 2025, a man died after fleeing from ICE officers and attempting to cross Interstate 264 in Norfolk, where he was struck by a passing vehicle. Although the circumstances of that incident differ from those reported in Suffolk, both events highlight the profound human consequences that immigration enforcement can have on individuals, families, and communities throughout the Commonwealth.

These incidents should prompt a thoughtful national conversation about how immigration laws are enforced and whether current practices appropriately balance public safety, constitutional rights, and respect for human dignity. This conversation should rise above partisan politics and instead focus on preserving public trust while ensuring that government authority is exercised responsibly and accountably.

Call to Action 1: Congressional Oversight

Virginia LULAC calls upon Virginia's congressional delegation and members of Congress from across the nation to exercise their constitutional oversight responsibilities by demanding a full, transparent, and independent review of the events that occurred in Suffolk, as well as other incidents across the nation in which serious questions have been raised regarding the use of force during ICE enforcement operations. Congress has both the authority and the responsibility to ensure that federal agencies operate within the law and in accordance with the Constitution. Oversight is not an attack on law enforcement. Rather, it is an essential safeguard that protects the public, strengthens accountability, and preserves the integrity of our institutions.

Call to Action 2: Department of Homeland Security

We urge the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct an independent review of this incident and any other incidents in which questions have been raised regarding compliance with the Department's Use of Force Policy. DHS policy requires officers to use only force that is objectively reasonable under the circumstances and to discontinue force once an individual is under control. When legitimate questions arise regarding compliance with those standards, transparency and accountability are necessary to preserve public trust.

Call to Action 3: Virginia's Elected Officials

Virginia LULAC calls upon the Governor of Virginia, the Attorney General, members of the Virginia General Assembly, and local elected officials to stand with the communities they represent by speaking out whenever constitutional rights and civil liberties are called into question. Protecting the rights of all people within our Commonwealth is not a partisan issue. It is a fundamental responsibility of public service.

Call to Action 4: Community Action

We encourage community leaders, faith organizations, legal advocates, and civic organizations to continue educating immigrant families about their constitutional rights and to ensure that individuals have access to legal representation and community support. An informed community is a stronger community, and knowledge of one's rights is one of the most important protections against abuse or misunderstanding.

Call to Action 5: Public Engagement

Finally, Virginia LULAC urges every eligible voter to remain engaged in our democracy. Democracy is strongest when every voice is heard and every community participates without fear. We encourage Virginians to stay informed, engage respectfully with their elected representatives, attend public meetings, and advocate for policies that uphold the Constitution, protect civil liberties, and preserve the dignity of every human being.

Virginia LULAC will continue standing with our communities, defending those principles, and advocating for a Commonwealth and a nation that live up to the promises of liberty, justice, equality, and due process for all. We believe these goals are not mutually exclusive. America is strongest when it upholds both the rule of law and the constitutional values upon which our nation was founded.

Virginia LULAC stands with all individuals whose civil rights are threatened. We will continue working alongside community organizations, legal advocates, elected officials, and residents throughout the Commonwealth to ensure that justice, accountability, and respect for human dignity remain at the center of our immigration system.

Our nation has long been defined not only by the laws we enact but by the principles we uphold. Those principles require that government authority be exercised with restraint, transparency, accountability, and respect for the dignity of every human being. Virginia LULAC remains steadfast in defending those principles and will continue advocating for a Commonwealth, and a nation, that lives up to its highest ideals.

Brown, E. R. (2026, July 10). Video shows agents punching, kneeing man during immigration arrest in Suffolk – the virginian-pilot. pilontonline.com. https://www.pilotonline.com/2026/07/10/sentara-belleharbour-ice-arrest/

Department of Homeland Security. (2023, February 6). 2023 update to the department policy on use of Force | Homeland Security. dhs.gov. https://www.dhs.gov/publication/2023-update-department-policy-use-force

Manzanares, K. (2026, May 1). Immigration enforcement in Virginia has risen sharply in the last year. whro.org. https://www.whro.org/virginia-government/2026-05-01/immigration-enforcement-in-virginia-has-risen-sharply-in-the-last-year

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About Virginia LULAC

Virginia LULAC is the state chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights advocacy organization. Our mission is to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health, housing, and civil rights of Hispanic Americans in the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond.

Contact:

virginialulacofficial@gmail.com | valulac.org