In a chilling video posted to TikTok, Kendall Diaz details what she calls the “kidnapping” of her husband, Martin R. Diaz, a longtime U.S. resident, business owner, and father figure who was violently seized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents outside their Spokane home last week in Washington. The arrest, which took place on April 30, has sparked widespread outrage online, with many comparing the tactics used to those employed by authoritarian regimes.
“He was tackled without warning, without a warrant, by men who didn’t identify themselves,” Kendall says in the viral clip, her voice steady but seething. “They broke into our home. They planned this. They’ve been stalking us for months.”
Indeed, previous TikTok videos show ICE agents surveilling the Diaz family as early as February 2025. Once, even staged a car accident to try to detain him once before, the months-long psychological pressure campaign ultimately culminated in this hit-style extraction.
Martin Diaz, who fled Mexico as a child and has lived in the U.S. for over 33 years, is currently being held at a high-security ICE facility in Northern Idaho, despite his ongoing efforts to obtain legal residency and build a life in Washington. According to Kendall, the couple had been pursuing a green card through proper legal channels, a process hampered by an old conviction for gross mischief. It’s an offense that, while non-violent, has nonetheless become the linchpin for his detention.
The video, widely circulated on Reddit and TikTok, paints a grim picture of ICE’s tactics. Footage reportedly shows agents arriving in unmarked vehicles, failing to present warrants or identification, and ambushing Diaz as he stepped outside.
“They looked just like random dudes kidnapping a guy,” wrote user Plasticjesus504. “This is so out of control and wrong on sooo many levels.”
“No warrant, no ID, faces often covered, unmarked cars…laws no longer apply,” added Horror_Ad_1845. “This is a tyrannical government.”
The legal gray area surrounding ICE’s methods is nothing new, but the apparent militarization and secrecy of this operation are raising fresh concerns. “This wasn’t law enforcement,” said one Reddit user. “This was an extrajudicial kidnapping.”
Some online have drawn stark historical parallels.
“This is how I imagine 1930s Germany to have been like,” said Blaxpell. “Neighbors disappearing, no one knowing where they’ve been taken.”
Others, particularly conservative commentators, argue the issue is simpler: the law is the law. They point out that Diaz’s legal status is still unresolved and that his minor conviction is grounds for removal.
But critics say that framing ignores the human cost and the broader implications for immigrant families across the country. Diaz is married to a U.S. citizen, owns a small business, and has spent over three decades contributing to the local community. “If this can happen to someone like Martin, it can happen to anyone,” Kendall says in a follow-up video.
The case is emblematic of a wider debate over immigration enforcement under shifting political winds. The Biden administration had previously emphasized a more humane, targeted approach to deportations, but in recent months, some immigration advocates say ICE’s tactics have returned to a Trump-era level of aggression: stealth raids, opaque operations, and limited judicial oversight.
While the Diaz family works with immigration attorneys to challenge Martin’s detention, Kendall has launched a campaign on her TikTok channel demanding accountability and his immediate release. Her plea is gaining traction, especially among viewers shocked by the nature of the arrest.
“It really goes to show you that ICE knows they’re going after regular folks,” one user commented. “If these were actual gang members, they’d have gone in with SWAT.”
As public scrutiny intensifies, the story of Martin Diaz now stands as a symbol of both a broken system and a community waking up to what that system is capable of.
