ICE Poses as Tire Shop Customer, Arrests Mexican Worker

A Mexican worker was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after one of them allegedly posed as a customer at a tire shop in Washington. The incident occurred on Saturday at TOS Wheels & Tires, a business located in Lynnwood, north of Seattle, according to a public statement by the company.

The arrest was captured on security cameras and sparked outrage among the employee’s colleagues and family members, who questioned the procedure used. The case has reignited the debate over ICE’s tactics for detaining immigrants at their workplaces and the consequences for their families.

ICE Uses Alleged Customer to Detain Mexican Man in Washington

ICE agents posed as tire shop customers to detain young dad, 26, who has been in US as a child and has no criminal history, fiancée says https://t.co/5PSjlPHVpy

— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) October 21, 2026

The worker was identified as Christopher Ruiz de Jesús, a 26-year-old Mexican man who was performing his typical duties. According to the business, an alleged agent entered asking about tires and requested that someone check his vehicle to identify the necessary tires.Ruiz exited the business to attend to the request, unaware that three other agents were waiting outside to arrest him. The released images show how the alleged customer covered his face with a ski mask while the agents intercepted the worker.

Business Denounces Deception During Immigration Operation

Un hombre de 26 años, originario de México, fue detenido por agentes de ICE encubiertos que acudieron a su lugar de trabajo en Lynnwood, Washington.
https://t.co/LWbCQOzD4t

— N+ UNIVISION (@nmasunivision) October 21, 2026

TOS Wheels & Tires publicly reacted and accused immigration authorities of using deception to remove the employee from the establishment. «They kidnapped one of ours. YES, KIDNAPPED,» the business expressed on its social media accounts while denouncing the incident.

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The company assured that the agents did not request personal information before making the arrest, although this version does not constitute a judicial conclusion. The establishment also defended the worker and stated that he had no criminal record, as images began to circulate on social media.

Mexican Worker’s Family Faces Uncertainty After Arrest

Jade Gaspar, Ruiz’s fiancée and also an employee of the establishment, explained to FOX that the Mexican man arrived in the United States when he was five years old. The woman assured that her partner has no criminal record, a fact that has not been independently confirmed through judicial records. Both have a one-year-old son, whose economic support depends exclusively on the detained worker, according to his fiancée. The family faces uncertainty about their immigration situation, while the administrative charges and legal circumstances of the arrest have not been publicly specified.

ICE Arrests at Workplaces Generate Controversy

The detention occurs amid questions about immigration operations conducted at commercial establishments and other U.S. workplaces. Early in October, immigration agents faced resistance during an operation at a construction site in Madera, California, when a supervisor questioned their authority to enter. The episode was recorded in a viral video and showed how an intervention can generate disputes over federal agents’ access to private properties. In Washington, the case of Ruiz again puts ICE’s methods under scrutiny, while his family awaits answers about the worker’s future.

Sources: Efe, Univision.