A Guatemalan national was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday evening after hiding in a tree for approximately nine hours in an attempt to evade arrest, as reported by The New York Post.
The individual, identified as 29-year-old Raul Ical, reportedly fled from a traffic stop conducted by ICE agents earlier in the day.
He ran into the backyard of a residence in west San Antonio around 10 a.m. and climbed high into a tree, according to local reports from KSAT and KENS5.
Video captured at the scene showed Ical perched among the branches while ICE agents waited below. Neighbors said officers made at least two attempts to reach Ical in the tree and speak with him before he eventually climbed down around 7 p.m.
“You can run, but you can’t hide,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a statement shared alongside news of the arrest.
“Whether in a tree or harbored in an activist judge’s house, if you are here illegally, ICE will find you, arrest you, and you will be deported.”
X Screenshot – Secretary Kristi Noem
ICE confirmed that Ical is facing federal criminal charges for illegal re-entry after having previously been deported from the United States.
According to an official statement, “Ical previously entered the United States unlawfully on March 27, 2013, and was subsequently removed to Guatemala on April 24, 2013.”
The agency has not disclosed the date of Ical’s most recent re-entry into the country, nor the exact circumstances that led to Tuesday’s traffic stop.
During the standoff, a small group of activists gathered nearby and attempted to provide Ical with legal advice.
“You don’t have to sign anything,” one activist, Jose Montoya from the Party for Socialism and Liberation, shouted as Ical descended from the tree, according to The New York Times.
NEW: Raul, the tree-climbing illegal, has come down from his hiding spot after 7 hours of hiding from ICE. He's a Guatemalan who was deported in 2013 but broke back into the country. Adios, amigo! pic.twitter.com/5jAeluDLaA
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) April 30, 2025
Ical was immediately arrested upon coming down and is currently in ICE custody pending prosecution and further removal proceedings.
The incident has drawn attention as one of several high-profile encounters in which previously deported individuals have re-entered the United States and attempted to evade apprehension.
ICE reiterated its commitment to enforcing immigration law and removing individuals who re-enter the country illegally.