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‘Let go of my balls’: ICE arrest goes south, ends in testicle-grabbing brawl

It’s the latest twist in Bay Area immigration enforcement.

A close-up of a person's waist shows a badge labeled "ICE" on a belt, surrounded by tactical gear including a holstered gun, a pouch, and tools.
The suspect “forcibly grabbed, squeezed, pulled and twisted Deportation Officer C’s testicles,” court documents say. | Source: Andres Kudacki/Getty Images

Court documents are shedding light on an incident that took place where the sun don’t shine.

A Nicaraguan man has been charged with assaulting federal officers May 2, and documents in the case allege a violent struggle in which he clutched and yanked an agent’s testicles.

But when you live by the sword, you die by the sword. The suspect, Francisco De-Jesus Morales, released his grip when another agent gave him a taste of his own medicine and crushed his manhood, a court filing states.

Morales resisted three Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who tried taking him into custody at an ICE facility in San Jose, authorities said. 

Morales “forcibly grabbed, squeezed, pulled and twisted Deportation Officer C’s testicles,” the affidavit signed by Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Nihad Custo said.

The aggrieved agent yelled: “‘Let go of my balls!’ or words to that effect,” according to the document.

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That agent and another, identified as Deportation Officer A, punched Morales in the head and body before “Officer A grabbed Morales’s testicles,” according to the affidavit. “At that point, Morales released his grip.” 

One officer was diagnosed with a hairline fracture or strain to his ankle, one suffered bruising and a chest contusion, and a third sustained significant bruising to the testicles and back. Two officers missed work to recover from injuries. Morales sustained cuts and bruising to the face during the altercation, the affidavit states.

San Jose police and emergency medical personnel responded following a 911 call.

ICE agent detains immigrant
Plainclothes ICE agents detain an immigrant at San Francisco Immigration Court on May 27. | Source: Tomoki Chien/The Standard

Morales faces one count of assault on a federal officer, inflicting bodily injury. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. A magistrate judge on May 21 approved a no-bail arrest warrant for Morales. 

An immigration judge ordered Morales’ removal in March after he failed to appear for a hearing. On May 1, an ICE contractor told him to report to the San Jose ICE facility the following day to return a phone that had been provided to him by immigration authorities, court records said. 

After Morales arrived to return the phone, he got into a fight with the officers, officials say. ICE did not respond to requests for comment.

Court documents don’t indicate if Morales has an attorney. The federal public defender’s office in San Francisco was unsure if he is a client due to network problems Friday morning.