Video shows traumatic moments for a teenager in Northfield, Minnesota, as agents with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detained his father Tuesday afternoon.

Witnesses claim that ICE did not explain why they were detaining the 41-year-old man from Mexico, and at the time of publishing, ICE was not able to tell WCCO why this man is now separated from his family. 

While WCCO has not been able to independently verify what happened before, the video shot by the man's son begins with several masked ICE agents apparently trying to grab the man in the passenger seat of a car stopped on Washington Street. It's a quiet residential neighborhood left shaken by the incident, with witnesses saying an agent shattered the car window while others drew firearms. 

The teenage boy can be heard pleading with agents as they restrain his father and bring him to the ground. One of them tells the boy and other onlookers that they had waited "15 minutes" as the man and other unidentified occupants refused to open the window. According to a witness, the man's family was waiting for a lawyer to arrive when agents smashed the window. 

Northfield Police Chief Jeff Schroepfer put out a statement after WCCO contacted him. He confirmed that while officers responded to a 911 call related to the ICE detainment, they did not get involved in any capacity per department policy. 

"We do not have the authority to interject ourselves into a federal investigation. I will not comment on the tactics or actions of ICE agents, as I do not have information regarding the background, circumstances, or history of the individual or investigation involved," Schroepfer said in part. 

While the family declined to be identified by name, loved ones said that the man is originally from Mexico. Krissa Anderson, who said she volunteers at local schools to assist with language learning, said that she worked with the man's son in class last year. Anderson said that he is a hardworking man trying to provide for his family with two local jobs. 

"Normally, if somebody is arrested in our town, there's a public record of it and we can look it up and see what happened," Anderson said. "In this situation, there were unidentified men with no uniforms and no ID that came and took somebody and we didn't know where he was going or what was happening." 

The 41-year-old man from Mexico is now being held at Kandiyohi County Jail, about 2.5 hours away from Northfield. He will remain in ICE custody until he is removed from the country.   

An ICE spokesperson told WCCO the man was arrested as part of "an intelligence-based operation" and that he had an active warrant, though the spokesperson did not say for what. The agency said he "will remain in ICE custody pending his removal from the United States."

An ICE spokesperson alleges that the man acted dangerously during the stop. Agents claim he "endangered the lives of officers, passengers, and bystanders by refusing to comply with lawful commands, attempting to flee, and trying to place the vehicle in drive while officers were positioned in harm's way." 

WCCO asked for clarification on the man's actions, given he was wearing a seatbelt in the passenger seat and was not behind the wheel. Witnesses say that ICE agents did not attempt to detain the driver of the car. ICE has not responded. 

Madeline Lohman, advocacy and outreach director for The Advocates for Human Rights, released a statement disputing ICE's version of events. The group is providing legal representation for the man and his family.

"ICE's account is inaccurate and misleading. ICE's use of force was not justified, and their narrative is an attempt to defend excessive and unlawful actions. We are deeply concerned about federal agents' abuse of power and the violation of rights happening in Minnesota and across the country," Lohman's statement says, in part. 

Lohman declined to provide any specifics about the legal charges the man now faces. 

Local community members in Northfield are now looking to help the man's family, according to Northfield Schools Superintendent Matt Hillmann. 

"The situation is unsettling," Hillmann said, "our community comes together and rallies to support our friends and neighbors in their times of need." 

While ICE does not list specific charges against the man, a legal expert based out of St. Paul explains that this is typical in civil immigration cases.

Gloria Contreras Edin of Contreras Edin Law said that privacy issues surrounding immigration cases allow ICE to keep arrest details hidden from the public. She said that she is getting around five calls per week where longtime immigrants in the area are being detained following minor infractions like a speeding ticket. 

Contreras Edin said her main concern in this case, having reviewed the video, is the safety of the kids and other bystanders. 

"This is going to traumatize not just this young man but anybody else who was around," Contreras Edin said. 

In late October, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem came to Minneapolis to provide what she described as an update on ICE operations in the Twin Cities region. Noem claimed that federal agents had arrested more than 4,300 people in the metro area by that point in the year, claiming 3,316 had a criminal history. 

In a recent 60 Minutes interview with Nora O'Donnell, President Trump said he believed ICE raids "haven't gone far enough" when asked about footage of ICE detaining legal American citizens, teargassing a Chicago residential neighborhood and smashing a car window.