A man and his pregnant wife were seen being removed from their vehicle before they were taken into custody by immigration agents in Simi Valley.
The witness, who only identified herself as Briana, said the incident happened near Royal Avenue and Carson Street around 8 a.m.
The pair, who were sitting in an SUV, were suddenly surrounded by three vehicles while several masked agents approached the SUV and opened the doors. The agents were seen pulling the man and woman out of the car.
“They were so quick, they just literally left and broke the windows,” Briana said. “You could see his sandal was left there. It was pretty traumatic. It’s going on everywhere. It’s just the law, I guess.”
Briana said she was driving when she noticed the masked agents and decided to pull over to find out what was happening.
She said the couple appeared to be in their 30s and could only speak Spanish. She was heard yelling at the agents, but did not physically intervene with the arrest.
“The [man and woman] kept looking at me, like, asking for help, but all I could do was record them,” she said. “They just were desperate to get out of the situation. They were scared. There were people with masks. Who are they? Where are they taking them?”
Briana said that at one point, the man being held on the ground told the agents that his wife was pregnant.
“There were three guys pinning down a pregnant woman,” she said. “There’s no reason for that.”
In the video, one of the agents’ vests has a decal that reads, “Police-ICE.” Ultimately, the couple was placed into vehicles and driven away.
KTLA’s Lindsey Pena was able to contact the pregnant woman, who said she and her husband were taken to a facility in Camarillo. She said her husband remains in custody, but she was released with an ankle monitor and has a follow-up appointment at the facility next week.
KTLA has reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security several times for more details on the arrest and any crimes the couple may be accused of and is awaiting a reply. The couple has not been identified.
The White House has vowed to continue immigration enforcement operations in Southern California and across the U.S.
Local leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, have demanded that the Trump administration stop the raids that sparked protests in early June.
However, federal officials said it would continue conducting immigration raids and deportations. “ICE will continue to enforce the law,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X.
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/couple-arrested-by-federal-immigration-agents-in-simi-valley