U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed agents took a person from Oneonta into immigration detention on Thursday, July 23.
In a Thursday, July 30 statement, an ICE spokesperson said that the agency arrested Heber Martinez-Flores, a Mexican national whom the agency alleged overstayed a three-month visa that was issued in June 2025.
The statement comes a week after video of the seizure by individuals with unmarked vehicles on Mosher Avenue spread throughout the community, drawing condemnation from Oneonta Mayor Dan Buttermann.
The ICE statement did not include any accusations of non-immigration-related illegal behavior by Martinez-Flores.
The ICE spokesperson said Martinez-Flores entered the country “lawfully in June 2025 at John F. Kennedy International Airport. However, he violated the terms of his lawful admission and chose to remain in the country illegally, long after his three-month visit should have ended.”
The spokesperson stated that Martinez-Flores was working in the country illegally.
“It is a privilege to be granted a visa to visit the United States of America,” the spokesperson said. “ICE will arrest those abusing that privilege to uphold the rule of law in America.”
It is unclear where Martinez-Flores is being held while awaiting removal proceedings. The spokesperson declined to say where, citing the federal Privacy Act of 1974. The ICE detainee locator webpage did not return results for Martinez-Flores, and an individual at ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations office in Buffalo said ICE “protocol” prevented them from sharing additional information.
Martinez-Flores could not be reached for comment.
Last week’s widely-viewed video showed at least three unmarked vehicles and individuals on Mosher Avenue, with one of the vehicles lacking a front license plate. One of the officers wore a bulletproof vest with “ERO POLICE” written on its back. ERO is an acronym for Enforcement and Removal Operations.
The eyewitness who recorded the video, Nakia Facey, said he saw a fourth vehicle and that when the agents left two vehicles headed toward Interstate 88. He said the unmarked vehicles were circling the neighborhood before they stopped for about 10 minutes, during that time putting the individual ICE has now identified as Martinez-Flores into the back of a grey Dodge Durango.
ICE urged individuals without legal status to self-deport in the statement.
“Illegal aliens have a choice. They can leave voluntarily and preserve the opportunity to come back to the U.S. to live the American dream legally. If not, they will be arrested, deported, and permanently barred from returning,” the statement read.
In a statement, Buttermann said Martinez-Flores’ arrest and detention “may be allowable under the current law, but it underscores the reason for reforms.”
“The ICE statement does not address any public safety concerns related to Mr. Martinez-Flores but instead reiterates the federal administration’s fervent desire to remove immigrants at almost any cost,” Buttermann said.
“Yes, he overstayed his visa, and broke the law, but we can change the law,” Buttermann said. “With a few small changes, the storyline could be Heber Martinez-Flores enters the country peacefully and gets to work. Isn’t that what makes our country great?”