Social media erupts after illegal immigrant screams during viral DC arrest: 'What I voted for'
Social media erupted on Wednesday and Thursday after an illegal immigrant was arrested in Washington D.C., for child sex crime charges in a now-viral video.
Mexican national David Perez-Teofani exited his vehicle when officers approached him, and he was tackled when he tried to make a break for it, according to the video from NBC Washington reporter.
In the video, he’s heard yelling in Spanish while being held on the ground.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin explained what happened, as the individual allegedly entered the country illegally three times, had a final order of removal, and was arrested in Fairfax County in January.
"Yes this illegal alien from Mexico was previously arrested in January 2024 in Fairfax County for aggravated sexual assault of a child under 13. Glad he is off of Washington DC’s streets thanks to [President] Trump, [Noem] and [ICE]," she posted to X.
The video made rounds on the app with a wide range of reactions.
"Turns out he IS a criminal…," actor Dean Cain, who recently announced that he’s joining ICE, posted on X.
"Are we supposed to be offended by this? He entered the country illegally three times. When he tried to flee, he was subdued with reasonable force. Seems like textbook law enforcement," lawyer Matt Martens wrote.
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"Every time," lawyer Payton Alexander posted with an image showing the charges.
"He's an illegal alien from Mexico who was previously arrested in January 2024 in Fairfax County for aggravated sexual assault of a child under 13. So yes, this is what I voted for," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson wrote.
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On the flip side, others expressed concerns with the clip, perhaps before knowing the additional context.
"Also curious on what grounds they approached him in the first place," one user wrote.
"Fascism is here, folks. We have arrived. This is no longer a cautionary tale or a fate we can avoid. We are a fascist state," On Democracy podcast host Fred Wellman wrote.
"I do wonder how the images of people screaming and crying out that they just want to work and take care of their families, while being tackled and dragged away by masked men comport with anybody's vision of a safer city. Unusual times," another user posted.
Many of the arrests in the nation's capital have been immigration-related since the federal takeover was announced earlier this month.
"We’ve now made a total of 630 arrests and seized 86 illegal guns in DC. 53 arrests were made yesterday, plus 24 ICE arrests and 10 guns taken off the streets. Our incredible [U.S. Marshals Service] even helped recover a missing child. Our mission to make DC safe again isn’t slowing down," Attorney General Pam Bondi tweeted on Thursday.