US citizens jailed in LA Ice raids speak out: 'They came ready to attack' [View all]

[babylonsister]

US citizens jailed in LA Ice raids speak out: ‘They came ready to attack’
Exclusive: Andrea Velez and Adrian Martinez recount their capture by immigration officers and its effects on their lives
Sam Levin in Los Angeles
Tue 5 Aug 2025 09.00 EDT



snip//

Suddenly, she recalled, one of the men slammed her to the ground and placed her into his car. The men had “Police” vests, but otherwise were in plainclothes and didn’t identify themselves. She didn’t know why they had taken her.

The men, it turned out, were Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) deportation officers. They were looking to question people about “whether they were lawfully present” in the US, an agent later wrote. Velez is a US citizen who grew up in downtown, not far from the incident.

“They just came out ready to attack anyone,” said Velez, in her first interview since her arrest. “I thought they were kidnapping me.”

A day after her arrest, the Department of Justice (DoJ) charged Velez with assaulting an officer, which could carry a 20-year sentence. The claim was shocking to Velez, who is 4ft 11in and said she had not laid hands on anyone.

more...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/05/us-citizens-jailed-ice-los-angeles