The family members of a U.S. citizen who was taken into custody by federal agents in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday are demanding answers as she was detained while on her way to work.
Andrea Velez, a Cal Poly Pomona grad working in merchandising at a shoe company, had just been dropped off by her mother and sister for the workday when they saw her being taken into custody, adding they had barely even driven a block before the arrest began.
“They didn’t have vests that said ICE or anything,” said Velez’s sister Estrella Rosas. “Their cars didn’t have license plates.”
She says that her mother was driving away when she looked in her rearview mirror at what was described by police as immigration enforcement.
“In the rear mirror she saw my sister was kinda, like, attacked from the back and she was already on the floor,” Rosas said.
Video shows a growing crowd of onlookers yelling as officers surround the 32-year-old woman. Her family members were too scared to get out, as Rosas’ mother has residency but not full U.S. citizenship.
They’re also worried that Velez may have been holding pepper spray, which they say she always carries in her hand when walking downtown, when agents approached her.
Witnesses told CBS News Los Angeles that no one asked for her identification, but her family believes that it was nothing she actually did that led to her arrest, but rather the way she looks.
“Just because of the color of our skin, they think we’re criminals,” Rosas said. “My sister was there, so they were like, ‘Oh, she looks Hispanic, so let’s take her too.’”
As of Tuesday night, they have still not been able to find out where Velez is being held and are worried it could be days before they finally do.
CBS News Los Angeles has reached out to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement for information on Velez’s arrest but has not yet heard back. An inquiry was also made asking how agents check a person’s status when they first come into contact, and how they find the people they’re targeting in enforcement operations.
Some of the video circulating online, showing Velez’s arrest, also shows a group of Los Angeles police who appear to be aiding federal agents in the immigration operations.
Later Tuesday, officers told CBS News Los Angeles that they were called to the area after receiving a 911 call reporting a kidnapping at the location. When they arrived, they say that they saw that a federal immigration operation was underway and stayed to maintain peace because they were concerned by the growing crowd and the federal agents.
The saddest part of this post is that th title has to stipulate that the disappeared is a US citizen. Because so many now are willing to accept that disappearing non-citizens is just hunkydory.
For me the point I want to make is that none of us are safe. We need to protect due process for everyone. Yes there are a subset of people that don’t care about the gov. deporting non citizens. If they see it’s happening to citizens, maybe they will start to care, maybe they will see how wrong it is to violate the rights of immigrants. I dunno. Like how do you reach these people to show them how wrong it all is?
Our ICE officers are now facing a 500 percent increase in assaults against them while they carry out enforcement operations
Those are rookie numbers.
Don’t go to a second location with someone who makes you uncomfortable
You may disappear, you’re trusting this person or people who make you uncomfortable with your safety.
Fight for your life.
If you’re gonna lose that fight, drag one with you.
Remember. Shoot first. Determine whether they were ICE or human traffickers later since they didn’t provide identification.
Actually, ICE are human traffickers considering we know, as a fact, that they’ve kidnapped actual American citizens.
So yeah, just shoot.
What if this wasn’t ICE, but human traffickers? Is there even a difference these days?
Nope.
If you are standing by watching as the gestapo commits genocide, you are aiding the gestapo. Think about that when it’s your turn to be a bystander.
I keep looking for the helpers, as Mr Rogers said to do, but I’m not seeing much help.
I put up signs at least. I try to leave zines and literature and argue with people online.
I know there is more to be done, but I don’t know. I hope that there is some justice done, and that I am doing enough.
If you don’t see the helpers, you need to be the helper. The bystander effect is a real thing.
I’m genuinely trying. I have a very specific mission I’ve been working on for a year. There has been no success. There is no support. I need community, I need to see others doing the same.
I have done everything short of violence, and I cannot do violence.
Kudos to just not having it in you to hurt people.
What’s the project?
Mental health justice - primarily for children.
Mental health care in southern states is a hell right now. A lot of child welfare agencies have taken Trump’s election as permission to stop functioning.
I also used to work with a lot of undocumented children, but it’s no longer safe to be a trans teacher. So I do independent outreach, education. Trying to make all children feel valued.
It can take a lot to make a kid feel worthwhile at the best of times. That it’s anyone’s goal at all is already a pretty huge comfort, I think. Shit, you managed to not crumple to hate, even now. That’s our humanity, that’s what we’re fighting for, anyway. Always good to see it. I’ll take it anywhere I can find it.
Didn’t Biden deport over 4 million without needing gestapo tactics? It’s clear that even the deportations aren’t really the main goal, it’s fear and repression of the population.
And it’s being reported that Trump is even deporting people at a lower rate compared to Biden, which is very telling when you consider how little attention this was getting with Biden.
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This is why the black panthers carried AK’s
I agree, unfortunately. If these people aren’t going to properly identify themselves & instead drive around in unmarked cars with masks on, what makes them any different than a criminal? How do we know they aren’t criminals? If a criminal mimics this behavior, what’s to stop them?
These current tactics are shadowy & undermining rule of law (nevermind the behavior much farther up the chain). There has to be some way to validate this as state activity. Otherwise, we’ll get more copy cat criminals where the public can’t provide any meaningful facts.
what makes them any different than a criminal?
Given that they’re committing crimes, they literally ARE criminals. Abducting people without due process is kidnapping no matter who you are.
Why are you the only person bringing reason to this conversation?
Dunno, other people are busy or asleep? 🤷
That is wildly optimistic. I envy that.
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Criminals are already mimicing this behavior
Criminal see, criminal do.
Why unfortunately?
If I were to use unfortunately in this context, I would say, “unfortunately the abductors were not gunned down on the spot.”
Thats the only way I could think to use that appropriately here.
“Unfortunate that it’s necessary” is probably what they meant
That’s when California started restricting firearms so heavily, under Republican leadership at the time.
The Republicans love to talk about CA gun restrictions, and conveniently leave out that they started it specifically to undermine citizens expressing their 2nd amendment rights in the state.
Don’t forget the NRA supported such gun control
Here’s a good thing to remember, Nazis are in control. Arm yourselves.
Do it before you can’t.
The one good thing about this administration is that the cancer has been drawn out like the poison from a wound. Now, everyone can see it. This problem has been festering like a wound since the enactment of Civil Rights laws. But it has been burried. It was there. It always was. Just out of sight, thus out of mind. Look around everyone. Look at who is doing this. Never forget, and never forgive.
The problem is you’re asking for cognizance from the population of “I’m not affected therefore it’s not a real problem”. This will not change until a blonde white girl they can rally to their cause is accidentally deported
As a practical matter, most or all of these people are wearing body armor. It isn’t full coverage, but it would make shooting them effectively a great deal more difficult. They also operate in large groups, which makes attacking any one of them a lot more dangerous.
The civilian to shoot at them will almost certainly be killed within seconds. Anyone nearby is also likely to be hit, either accidentally or intentionally. Uninvolved civilians anywhere nearby are also likely to be hit. The agents are unlikely to care about their backstops or about collateral damage.
Any attack on possible government agents that is not part of a well-planned group response, using appropriate weapons, is going to result in civilian casualties and is unlikely to have any effect on the agents. That is not to say it couldn’t be done, but a few people responding with concealed carry weapons are not likely to succeed.
The human bite force is enough to easily remove a finger, it takes 33 pounds of force to crush a human trachea, and it only takes 7 pounds of force to rip a human ear clean off and/or to pop an eyeball out.
Not related to what you’re saying, just a big Mythbusters fan is all.
For months, masked individuals with no police agency markings have been leaping out of unmarked vehicles that have no licence plates, refusing to identify themselves in any way, then kidnapping people off of the streets; and not one of them has faced any true resistance.
What the fucked has happened to America. Is “hey don’t do that”, really all you’ve got???
What the fucked has happened to America.
We didn’t create legislation to prevent propaganda networks from brainrotting the dumbest segment of our population.
We also have a treasonous party abdicating their responsibilities and ceding their power to an authoritarian while making gaslighting Americans and disenfranchising voters their entire policy platform.
Eventually, they will hit a citizen carrying. Until then, they won’t stop.
I’m in Texas and I’m really shocked it hasn’t happened yet.
I recon they’re doing this in California because California has such strict gun laws
That works brilliantly right until some Cholo rams a bayonet they bought at a flee market into their gut. I ain’t making fun of them, Cholos and flee markets are great.
Thanks to Elon, they do have records of all FOID cards. This probably plays a role in arrests already.
Even then, they won’t stop, they’ll play the victim after shooting the guy. If you shoot back, even if you didn’t know they were police or federal agents you’ll still get prosecuted.
*Executed, extra judicially
Ain’t no way these fucks are going to let up at the opportunity to unload their mags into anybody who shoots at them.
I don’t think you’ll get prosecuted. I think you’ll get dead. Pigs have never cared about due process, and they love to act aggrieved and play the victim to further justify their inexcusable brutality.
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I think they are counting on it.
I do have to say, they’ve faced resistance from the people, but they have not faced consequences from the only people that can give it to them.
Not trying to dig on you, but nuance is important.
Later Tuesday, officers told CBS News Los Angeles that they were called to the area after receiving a 911 call reporting a kidnapping at the location. When they arrived, they say that they saw that a federal immigration operation was underway and stayed to maintain peace because they were concerned by the growing crowd and the federal agents.
remember, calling the police won’t save you or someone else from being abducted, they’ll just “keep the peace” (read: keep any bystanders from saving you) while you are.
911 dispatcher: A kidnapping? Those kidnappers need our help!
The police are traitors to America, and should be considered ICE collaborators at Nuremberg.
Someone is going to shoot an ICE “officer” before summer’s over
One can only hope.
I bet you anything it’s already happened, but they’re not willing to report on it, similar to how they thought they could demonize the justice that happened to that fucker from United healthcare.
Good.
An inquiry was also made asking how agents check a person’s status when they first come into contact, and how they find the people they’re targeting in enforcement operations.
Yeah if you can’t answer this question within 4 months of this shit, it might be a good time to report the only other option. But no, let’s keep giving them the benefit of the doubt in the media.
Do not forget, anyone working any police job is an enemy, and anyone reporting on it unfaithfully is also the enemy.
