Full Breakdown
ICE Video Shows Forceful Arrest of Guatemalan Worker on Virginia Hospital Campus
7/11/2026, 1:18:57 AM
ICE Arrest and Use of Force at Sentara BelleHarbour
On July 6, 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained Victor Perez Martin, a 26-year-old construction worker from Newport News who entered the United States from Guatemala in 2021. A video captured agents punching and kneeing Martin more than a dozen times on the lawn in front of the Sentara BelleHarbour outpatient campus in Suffolk. Four agents were shown on top of him, and one placed an arm around his neck. The incident occurred near the campus entrance on Bridge Road; Martin was neither a patient nor a visitor at the time.
Background & Context
The arrest follows a recent national surge in immigration enforcement. ICE reported detaining 10,000 individuals during the last five days of June 2026, a pace described by the New York Times as part of an internal push to double arrest rates. The Department of Homeland Security’s use-of-force manual states agents “shall use only the force that is objectively reasonable” and must discontinue force once the arrestee stops resisting.
Official Statements & Responses
Sentara’s media relations manager, Dale Gauding, said the hospital had no involvement and no staff contacted law-enforcement officers. ICE did not respond to emailed inquiries about the arrest. Perez Martin’s attorney, James Reyes, filed a habeas corpus petition seeking his release from the Farmville Detention Center while his immigration case proceeds.
Criticism & Opposition
Reyes described the video as “traumatic” and argued the force shown “does not seem… to be in the normal practice of law enforcement.” He noted that Martin, who had no prior criminal record, initially signed voluntary deportation paperwork but later decided to contest removal after speaking with his father and his lawyer.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It’s hard from the video to see what was before the video, but obviously from where the video starts, there does not seem to be a lot that would have said that that reaction was something that would be in the normal practice of law enforcement,” — James Reyes, attorney
- “We are aware of the incident near the entrance to the Sentara BelleHarbour campus on Bridge Road in Suffolk. Sentara personnel were not involved and had no contact with law enforcement or the person arrested,” — Dale Gauding, Sentara media relations manager
- “ Agents are directed to discontinue force when the arrestee stops resisting or when agents gain control.” — Department of Homeland Security, use-of-force manual
- “Immigration arrests have surged nationally in recent weeks, with ICE arresting 10,000 people in the last five days of June.” — Emma Rose Brown, reporter
