Martin R. Diaz-Amezcua, 35, of Mexico, was captured by federal agents on April 29 after initial attempts to take him into custody in February were unsuccessful. He has been temporarily booked into the Kootenai County Jail with a US Marshal hold, records show.
The confrontation was captured on multiple home surveillance cameras. Diaz-Amezcua can be seen exiting a vehicle and sprinting across his lawn before a Border Patrol agent caught up to him. He was chased, tackled to the ground, and apprehended. His wife, Kendall Diaz, a US citizen, first shared video of the arrest on social media.
"I caught you, motherf***," a federal agent said to Diaz-Amezcua, as the noncitizen attempted to enter a fence to gain entry into his backyard.
Dylan Young, the subject's roommate, heard the commotion and tried to intervene. "You have no right to come onto my property. This is his house. YOU get the f*** back," Young said to the federal agent, who instructed him not to interfere with the arrest.
"He's a good guy," Young said. The agent responded, "No, he's not," before placing Diaz-Amezcua's wrists into handcuffs.
Federal authorities first attempted to apprehend Diaz-Amezcua in February, but he was reportedly not at home.
The arrest generated outrage on social media after his wife revealed that Diaz-Amezcua was unlawfully brought into the country as a toddler by his parents. She added that he has been attempting to obtain legal status for almost a decade, which sparked further criticism of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations. However, court records show that Diaz-Amezcua was ordered to be removed from the United States following several criminal convictions that resulted in two stints in jail.
On November 1, 2007, just days after his 18th birthday, Diaz-Amezcua was taken into custody on third-degree rape charges. He later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of third-degree assault and was sentenced to a couple of months in jail, per court filings. After the felony conviction, a judge issued an "order of removal." He filed a motion in January 2019 and was granted a temporary stay. However, a judge ruled to vacate the temporary stay in November of that year, according to court records.
In 2017, Diaz-Amezcua was convicted of felony domestic violence after assaulting his ex-father-in-law. He arrived at his ex-wife's home, whom he divorced in 2015, and refused to leave. She called her father for help, which resulted in a physical confrontation that landed Diaz-Amezcua back in jail, court filings show.
Kendall Diaz pointed to her husband's criminal history that has prevented him from becoming a US citizen, saying that she has spent more than $100,000 in an effort to have Diaz-Amezcua stay in the country. "We've been constantly filing legal documents," she told the Spokesman, adding, "It's a difficult process to navigate."
Despite the earlier encounter in February, the couple received a letter from immigration officials on April 22 asking them to apply for a visa, Kendall said. She is now attempting to fight his likely deportation. The arrest comes as part of the Trump administration's nationwide immigration enforcement operations.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation.
Members of the public can report immigration-related crimes or suspicious activity by calling (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
