Guatemalan Migrant Spends Eight Hours in Tree to Avoid ICE, But Is Arrested in Texas

• ICE Arrests Guatemalan Man Who Hid in a Tree
• As Reported by CNN
• Here Are the Details

A Guatemalan migrant was apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after spending eight hours hidden in a tree in San Antonio, Texas.

This desperate act was an attempt to avoid arrest.

Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minex) identified the man as 29-year-old Caal-Caal, originally from Chahal, Alta Verapaz.

Guatemalan authorities stated that they are already following up on the case through the country’s consulate.

ICE Arrests Guatemalan Man Who Hid in a Tree

#HCHInternacionales | A 29-year-old Guatemalan immigrant stayed high up in a tree in San Antonio, Texas, trying to avoid arrest by ICE agents. The man had a pending arrest warrant and fled the authorities after a traffic stop…
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— HCH Televisión Digital (@HCHTelevDigital) April 30, 2025

Univision documented the incident on video, showing members of the local community offering moral and legal support to the migrant as he remained in the tree.

He was even heard speaking with his sister-in-law, who informed him that a judicial order had been issued against him and that he would be transferred to the same detention center where his brother, José Luis, was being held. José Luis had also been arrested by ICE earlier that same week.

According to an ICE statement cited by CNN, Caal-Caal was initially stopped during a routine traffic stop.

Upon noticing the ICE agents, he fled the vehicle and hid in a tree on a nearby private property.

The Migrant’s Arrest

#LocalNews #SanAntonio TX
Illegal immigrant taken into custody on San Antonio’s West Side after hiding in tree for hours
https://t.co/7FUeilqWLq
April 30, 2025

ICE says Raul Ical is a Guatemalan national and is facing criminal charges for…
— The Border Observer (@borderObserver) May 1, 2025

He was eventually arrested and taken to the detention center in Karnes City, Texas.

Federal authorities noted that Caal-Caal had previously been deported in April 2013 and was arrested again in 2024 for driving under the influence in San Antonio.

The case has raised concern among activists and the migrant’s family. From Guatemala, his parents told Univision they rely on the remittances their sons send from the United States.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem responded to the case with a message on X (formerly Twitter):
“Whether in a tree or hiding in an activist judge’s house—if you’re here illegally, ICE will find you, arrest you, and you will be deported,” she wrote.

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