HAMILTON, Ohio — A Hamilton family is pushing for answers after a father of five was detained by ICE on Friday.
His daughter, Yulianna Lira, says she watched as agents tased and forcibly removed her father, Alberto Lira Razo, from his vehicle.
Friday started with a father picking his daughter up from school because she wasn't feeling well.
"I kept on apologizing to my dad because I thought it was my fault. Because we wouldn't be in this situation if I just stayed at school," Yulianna Lira said.
Minutes after arriving home, Lira says she walked outside to a scene she had feared but never expected to witness.
"I went outside to go check, and I seen ICE agents on top of my dad trying to pull him out. His window was broken down. He kept on yelling my name," Lira said.
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Her father was being detained by ICE. Yulianna pulled out her phone and started recording.
She says agents tased her father, forcibly removed him from his van, and pushed her away as she tried to get to him and her 4-year-old brother.
"I was screaming and crying because I didn't know what to do. I seen my father getting beaten up by ICE agents. I never, I feared this day for so many times," Lira said.
By the time her mother, Moriah Lira, arrived, she says her husband was already in a police vehicle. The couple has five children.
Moriah Lira says her husband has lived in the U.S. since he was 16, has no criminal history, and the family has spent more than a decade trying to resolve his immigration status.
"I have my four-year-old son last night crying all night long, asking for his dad, and what can I say?" Moriah Lira said.
Now, there's another question: What happens next?
Moriah Lira says her husband is the family's sole provider, and as of the interview, they had received little information about what would happen to him.
An attorney is now working on his case, with the family hoping he could be released on bond.
"We need him home, because that's, you know, he's our sole provider, and he's the father of my children, and they're traumatized. They're upset. They can't sleep," Moriah Lira said.
A spokesperson for ICE issued the following statement regarding the matter:
"On November 6, ICE lodged a detainer against Alberto Lira Razo, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, with the Butler County Jail. His criminal history includes aggravated assault of police officer with strongarm, disorderly conduct, and resisting an officer.
During the arrest, Razo locked himself in his vehicle and refused to comply with officers’ lawful commands. Officers issued repeated verbal warnings and relied on their training to safely remove him from the vehicle. EMS was called to the scene, but Razo refused medical attention before being transported to the county jail.
ICE law enforcement officers are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and our officers. Officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use of force training.
Violence against ICE officers, or any law enforcement personnel, will not be tolerated. Our officers carry out their Congressionally mandated duties in service to public safety and the rule of law. Any bystander or individual who assaults, obstructs, or violently attacks officers will be subject to arrest and prosecution permitted by law.
We have seen a highly coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement. Our brave law enforcement is facing more than a 1,600% increase in assaults, 3,300% increase in vehicular attacks, and an 8,000% increase in death threats against them. This violence must end. Anybody who lays a hand on our officers or tries to obstruct them is committing a felony and a federal crime.
Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S."
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