“I Thought We’d Be Killed” — Martin Rascon Recounts Federal Agents Shooting at His Car

“Three Minutes That Changed Our Lives”: U.S. Citizen Daniel Rascon Recounts Terrifying Shooting and Home Siege by Masked ICE Agents

In a testimony that has left the nation’s capital reeling, 23-year-old U.S. citizen Daniel Rascon shared a harrowing account of survival, government aggression, and a complete breakdown of professional law enforcement norms. Speaking before a Senate panel presided over by Senators Blumenthal and Garcia, Rascon detailed a series of events that began with an unprovoked shooting on a quiet street and culminated in a high-tech siege of his family home. His story, supported by video evidence and expert analysis from former police officers, paints a disturbing picture of an administration that has allegedly traded the “scalpel” of targeted enforcement for a “hammer” that falls indiscriminately on citizens and non-citizens alike.

The Ambush at 8:49 a.m.

The ordeal began on the morning of August 16, 2025. Rascon was a passenger in a pickup truck driven by his future father-in-law, Francisco Languia, with Francisco’s son, Jonathan, also in the vehicle. Just two minutes from their home, two unmarked trucks suddenly boxed them in. Rascon, who was looking at his phone, looked up to find four men in face masks, sunglasses, and baseball caps—all with guns drawn and pointed directly at the car .

According to Rascon, the men refused to identify themselves despite repeated requests. Instead, they began pounding on the windows and pulling at door handles. Within seconds, the driver’s side window was shattered, and one of the masked men punched Francisco in the face. On the passenger side, another man smashed the window where Jonathan was sitting. Terrified and believing they were the victims of a violent carjacking or kidnapping, Francisco drove through the only open gap in the road to reach safety .

As they drove away, one of the four men opened fire. Multiple bullets struck the passenger side of the truck, with one narrowly missing Rascon’s head as he ducked for cover . The entire incident, from the ambush to the gunfire, lasted only three minutes.

The Siege of the Home

After reaching the safety of their home and calling 911, the family’s nightmare took a surreal turn. Local officers arrived and handcuffed Francisco, but they soon allowed the same four masked men who had just shot at the family to enter the property. These men, who Rascon later learned were ICE and HSI agents, allegedly lied to local police, claiming they had not fired any shots .

Over the next few hours, the family home was transformed into a weaponized zone. More than 20 HSI and ICE agents, along with 30 police officers, surrounded the property. They utilized submachine guns, assault rifles, and even a drone to map out the layout of the home . Despite the heavy presence, the agents appeared to have no idea who they were even targeting, eventually pointing to Rascon—a U.S. citizen—as the “driver” of the vehicle they had just assaulted .

The 4:00 a.m. Breach

The trauma intensified two weeks later, on August 28th. At 4:00 a.m., an armored truck arrived at the Rascon home, and men in night vision goggles surrounded the perimeter. Using a megaphone, they ordered the family to come out with their hands up. Before the family could even fully wake up, the agents breached the front door .

Rascon described the terrifying sight of green laser beams from assault rifles dancing across his family members. Most chillingly, he recounted how agents pointed their weapons at his pregnant fiance, even as the family begged for her safety and promised to comply . Francisco was taken into custody while still in his sleeping attire, eventually being held in immigration detention for three months despite a federal judge validating that the recording of the shooting incident was “scary to watch” .

Expert Analysis: “This Is Not Normal”

The testimony was bolstered by Seth Stoughton, a law professor and former police officer, who stated that the tactics used against the Rascon family fall far short of professional policing norms. Stoughton characterized the current administration’s approach as “dragnet style enforcement” that ignores established channels of communication and relies on “poor tactics that put community members and federal agents themselves in unnecessary danger” .

Stoughton pointed out several specific failures:

Lack of Identification: Professional policing depends on clear identification (uniforms and badges) to prevent “defensive violence by confused citizens” .

Excessive Use of Force: Shooting at moving vehicles is a practice that professional policing has constrained for decades due to the risk of creating “an unguided missile” .

Premature Narratives: The tendency for senior officials to issue “exonerating conclusions” within hours of an incident—before any real investigation has taken place—corrodes public trust .

A Call for Justice

Although the federal charges against the Rascon family were eventually dismissed, the scars remain. Daniel Rascon, a hardworking forklift operator and new father, says he no longer feels safe in the world he once called home. “How do you move on from knowing someone tried to kill you and people you love for no reason?” he asked the panel.

The Rascon case is being cited by civil rights advocates as a hallmark of “authoritarianism” and a warning that if these deviations from professional norms are not addressed, they will become the new normal [16:07]. For Daniel and his family, the fight for justice is not over, but their testimony has provided a critical and high-profile record of the human cost of a system operating without accountability.