Tag Archives: Angelique Brenes

KTLA: 2 Los Angeles protesters charged with assaulting federal officers at immigration rally

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Resist ICE!

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A federal grand jury has indicted two Southern California residents on charges that they allegedly assaulted federal officers during an anti-immigration enforcement protest last month outside a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.

Erin Petra Escobar, 34, of the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles, is charged with one felony count of assault on a federal officer or employee and one misdemeanor count of depredation of government property. Nick Elias Gutierrez, 20, of Hawthorne, faces two felony counts: one for assault on a federal officer or employee, and another for assault on a federal officer or employee resulting in bodily injury.

The indictment alleges that on July 17, a small group of protesters gathered outside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and United States Courthouse to protest recent immigration enforcement operations. Court documents allege that Escobar was seen using a permanent marker to write on and damage federal property. When officers approached to detain her, Gutierrez allegedly grabbed an officer’s bulletproof vest straps and shook him. During the struggle to detain Gutierrez, one officer dislocated his left ring finger.

Escobar and Gutierrez were eventually arrested. While being transported to a nearby holding cell, Escobar allegedly spat into the face of one of the officers, according to prosecutors.

Both defendants are scheduled to be arraigned on August 15 in United States District Court in Los Angeles. They are currently free on a $5,000 bond.

If convicted, Escobar faces a statutory maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison for the assault charge and up to one year for the depredation charge. Gutierrez faces up to 20 years for the assault resulting in injury count and a maximum of eight years for the assault charge.

The United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service is investigating the case, which is being prosecuted by the Justice Department’s General Crimes Section.

An indictment contains allegations, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

2 Los Angeles protesters charged with assaulting federal officers at immigration rally
A federal grand jury has indicted two Southern California residents on charges that they allegedly assaulted federal officers during an anti-immigration enforcement protest last month outside a fed…

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/protesters-charged-assaulting-federal-officers-immigration-rally

KTLA: Los Angeles nurse released from ICE custody without charges

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A Los Angeles nurse and community activist whose arrest drew protests and sharp criticism from local officials and advocacy groups was released from federal custody Saturday without criminal charges, according to National Nurses United.

Amanda Trebach, a registered nurse and member of the community group Unión del Barrio, had been detained Friday morning while monitoring immigration enforcement operations in San Pedro. Her release came after more than a day of demonstrations in downtown Los Angeles and calls from elected leaders who described the arrest as illegal and politically motivated.

Unión del Barrio said Trebach was taken into custody around 6 a.m. Aug. 8 while participating in a Harbor Area Peace Patrol outside the Terminal Island staging area, a Coast Guard base used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to prepare for raids across Southern California. The patrol, run by community volunteers, documents and monitors immigration enforcement activity.

Witnesses and video from the scene show masked individuals, identified by organizers as federal agents, pinning Trebach face down on the street, handcuffing her and placing her in an unmarked black van. The group said agents falsely claimed she assaulted a federal vehicle and alleged she was targeted for her political activism.

A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection offered a different account, saying that “as Border Patrol Agents departed Terminal Island to conduct immigration enforcement operations, Amanda Trebach jumped in front of moving vehicles, causing drivers to swerve out of the way. She continued to hit the car with her signs and fists while yelling obscenities at agents. After vehicles evaded her, she again physically blocked and impeded CBP from completing their duties. Agents arrested her for impeding and obstructing federal law enforcement.”

“Secretary Noem has been clear: Anyone who seeks to harm law enforcement officers will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” the spokesperson added.

“They charged at her and she dropped the poster,” said Cynthia Avina with Unión del Barrio. “The agents are claiming that she attacked them with that poster, and we know that that is not true. They are making false claims to try to intimidate us, to try to stop us from doing the work that we’re doing.”

Councilmember Tim McOsker called the incident “apparently illegal and unconstitutional” and said it violated a Ninth Circuit–upheld temporary restraining order restricting certain immigration raids. He reported the arrest to the Port Police, noting that Terminal Island falls under their jurisdiction.

Trebach, a U.S. citizen, works as a nurse in Watts, Compton and South Central Los Angeles. “She did not break ANY laws” and was exercising her constitutional rights, Unión del Barrio said in a statement. The group credited members of the Harbor Area Peace Patrol for recording video of the arrest, saying the footage helped secure her release.

News of her detention quickly spread, prompting a rally outside the federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles on Friday evening. The protest escalated when Los Angeles police declared an unlawful assembly, citing “the aggressive nature of a few demonstrators,” and shut down Alameda Street between Temple and Aliso streets. Police said officers attempting to contact an organizer were surrounded, and items were thrown at vehicles. By 11 p.m., a small group remained, lining the bridge over the 101 Freeway.

Her arrest occurred amid a new wave of federal immigration raids across the region, which critics say violate the court-ordered restrictions. Several cities, including Long Beach, have joined lawsuits filed by Los Angeles County and the city of Los Angeles challenging the federal government’s enforcement actions.

National Nurses United, which had urged members to rally for Trebach’s release, called her freedom “a testament to the power of organizing resistance and solidarity against the ongoing attacks by the Trump administration on our lives and livelihoods.”

Los Angeles nurse released from ICE custody without charges
A Los Angeles nurse and community activist whose arrest drew protests and sharp criticism from local officials and advocacy groups was released from federal custody Saturday without criminal charge…

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/nurse-released-from-ice-custody-without-charges

KTLA: ICE officers barred from using deceptive tactics in Southern California home raids

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are no longer allowed to identify themselves as local police or use deceptive tactics during home arrests in Southern California, following a court-approved settlement reached in a class action lawsuit.

The settlement, approved Monday by U.S. District Court Judge Otis D. Wright II in Kidd v. Noem, prohibits ICE officers in the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office from falsely claiming to be state or local law enforcement or misrepresenting the nature of their visit in order to enter a home or persuade a resident to come outside.

The case was filed in 2020 by Osny Sorto-Vazquez Kidd and two immigrant advocacy organizations, the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). The lawsuit challenged the constitutionality of ICE’s home arrest practices in Los Angeles and surrounding counties.

Under the agreement, ICE officers may not claim to be conducting criminal investigations, probation or parole checks, or other public safety inquiries unless those claims are accurate. Officers are also prohibited from using pretexts, such as suggesting a problem with a resident’s vehicle, to lure individuals outside.

“This settlement makes clear immigration officers are not above the Constitution and will be held accountable for their deceptive practices,” said Diana Sanchez, a staff attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, which represented the plaintiffs. “We’ll be monitoring to ensure ICE does not violate the rights of our community members.”

As part of the settlement, ICE officers in the Los Angeles Field Office must wear visible identifiers clearly labeling them as “ICE” whenever they display the word “POLICE” on their uniforms. The measure aims to prevent confusion among residents and reduce the possibility that individuals might mistake federal immigration agents for local law enforcement.

“For far too long, ICE disrespected the privacy of community members by taking shortcuts around the Constitution’s requirement that law enforcement have a warrant signed by a judge to enter a home,” said Annie Lai, director of the Immigrant and Racial Justice Solidarity Clinic at the UC Irvine School of Law. “Thanks to this settlement, ICE must now be transparent about who they are if they don’t have a warrant and want to speak with someone at their home.”

The settlement also mandates new training protocols. ICE must inform all Los Angeles Field Office officers of the new policies through broadcast messages and regular trainings. Officers will be required to document certain details when conducting home arrests, and ICE must share those records with class counsel to ensure compliance. This oversight will remain in place for three years.

The Los Angeles Field Office covers seven counties: Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.

The settlement follows a related court ruling issued in May 2024, which found that ICE officers and Homeland Security Investigations agents may not enter the private area around a home, known legally as the “curtilage,” without a judicial warrant or consent if their intent is to make a warrantless arrest. The combined effect of the two rulings significantly limits ICE’s authority to carry out home arrests without judicial oversight.

Angelica Salas, executive director of CHIRLA, said the decision brings meaningful safeguards. “By prohibiting ICE agents from using trickery, for example, falsely claiming that there is an issue with a resident’s vehicle, to lure people out of their homes, this settlement protects all its occupants and creates a safer community.”

Lizbeth Abeln, deputy director at the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, called the agreement a long overdue victory.

“For years, we’ve heard the testimonies: ICE agents impersonating local police, showing up at people’s doors, lying about their purpose, and using fear to tear families apart,” she said. “ICE can no longer use deception to target our communities.”

Giovanni Saarman González, a partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP and counsel for the plaintiffs, said the settlement, combined with the earlier ruling, offers meaningful relief to the classes and the broader Southern California community.

ICE officers barred from using deceptive tactics in Southern California home raids
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are no longer allowed to identify themselves as local police or use deceptive tactics during home arrests in Southern California, following a court…

https://ktla.com/news/california/ice-officers-barred-deceptive-tactics-home-raids

KTLA: Teen with disabilities reportedly detained by ICE outside L.A. school

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Los Angeles Unified School District leaders are calling for limits on immigration enforcement near campuses after a 15-year-old boy with disabilities was pulled from a car, handcuffed, and briefly detained outside Arleta High School on Monday in what officials describe as a case of mistaken identity.

The incident happened around 9:30 a.m. on Monday, just days before more than half a million LAUSD students return to classrooms. According to Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, the student — who attends San Fernando High School — had gone to Arleta High with his grandmother to accompany a relative registering for classes.

While the family member was inside, several officers approached their vehicle, telling them they were not with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). However, Carvalho said district-reviewed video appeared to show both police and Border Patrol personnel.

The boy was removed from the car and placed in handcuffs.

“As our students return to school, we are calling on every community partner to help ensure that classrooms remain places of learning and belonging,” Carvalho said. “Children have been through enough — from the pandemic to natural disasters. They should not have to carry the added weight of fear when walking through their school gates.”

The teen was eventually released after school staff and Los Angeles police Intervened. 

“The release will not release him from what he experienced,” Carvalho said during a news conference. “The trauma will linger. It will not cease. It is unacceptable, not only in our community, but anywhere in America.”

Parents like Yvonne, whose child attends school in the district, said the incident has left them shaken. “I was upset because our kids shouldn’t have to be going through this and being scared of coming to school, parents dropping them off. We shouldn’t be going through this,” she told KTLA. 

Soon after the incident, parents received a recorded voice message from the principal, saying: “We are aware of reports of immigration enforcement activity in the area, near our campus. Our school has not been contacted by any federal agency.” 

Many parents KTLA spoke with called the presence of federal agents near public school campuses shameful. “Our government, the administration had stated they were going to go after criminals. At a school, what criminals are you going to find? Kids trying to enroll — today’s orientation day,” parent Dorian Martinez said.

Board of Education President Kelly Gonez condemned the actions on social media, calling them “absolutely reprehensible” and part of the “continued unconstitutional targeting of our Latino community.”

The district says the detention underscores the need for strong protections as students return to school. In a statement Monday, LAUSD reaffirmed that “schools are safe spaces” and said immigration enforcement near campuses “disrupts learning and creates anxiety that can last far beyond the school day.”

Some parents fear that their children will be targeted simply because of the color of their skin, regardless of immigration status. “He fits that category,” Yvonne said of her child. “Where he’s on the darker side, and I feel like that’s who they’re attacking… that’s the main reason I tell him you better be careful and you don’t go with anybody.”

Ahead of the start of the school year, the district said it has contacted 10,000 families potentially impacted by immigration enforcement efforts, rerouted bus stops, deployed 1,000 central office staff to assist in school zones, and expanded virtual options for those too afraid to leave their homes.

Teen with disabilities reportedly detained by ICE outside L.A. school
Los Angeles Unified School District leaders are calling for limits on immigration enforcement near campuses after a 15-year-old boy with disabilities was pulled from a car, handcuffed, and briefly …

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/disabled-teen-detained-ice-outside-school

KTLA: Santa Ana police urge public to report abandoned property after immigration arrest video sparks outrage

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The Santa Ana Police Department is asking residents to alert authorities if they see abandoned vehicles or property they believe may belong to someone detained by federal immigration officers. The department issued the public service announcement on social media following a high-profile immigration arrest in the city that has drawn local and national attention.

“If you believe a community member has been detained by federal officers and their vehicle or property has been left alone or abandoned, please call our Communications Division,” the statement read. Police added they would make a “reasonable effort” to contact family members or others who could retrieve the belongings. The notice was initially posted in Spanish, with a follow-up video in English.

Beating and kidnapping of Narciso Barranco by ICE Gestapo goons:

The message comes amid heightened immigration enforcement activity in Southern California, which has left many families scrambling for answers and assistance. One case in particular has sparked outrage: the arrest of Narciso Barranco in Santa Ana, a 48-year-old husband and father of three U.S. Marines.

Barranco was allegedly detained Saturday by U.S. Border Patrol agents while working as a landscaper outside an IHOP near Edinger Avenue and Ritchey Street. Video of the arrest, shared widely on social media, shows masked federal agents tackling a man to the ground, striking him, then forcing him into an unmarked silver SUV.

The footage was first posted by the Instagram account @SantaAnaProblems. In the video, agents wearing tactical vests and face coverings are seen surrounding the man, pinning him to the pavement. One agent repeatedly strikes him on the arm and near the head before others lift him up and push him into the vehicle using what appears to be a metal rod. The man did not appear to be seriously injured in the footage.

His son, 25-year-old Alejandro Barranco, identified the man as his father, Narciso. He told KTLA’s Sara Welch that his father has lived in the United States for nearly three decades and was targeted, he believes, because of how he looked and where he worked.

“I think part of it is racial profiling,” Alejandro said. “They probably assumed because he was working the landscaping he had no documentation.”

On Sunday evening, hundreds of community members gathered in Santa Ana for a candlelight vigil in support of Narciso. The event drew several hundred attendees, including faith leaders and elected officials, all rallying behind a family whose story has gained national attention.

“We never expected a turnout like this—all the elected officials, the support—it’s crazy. I’ve never seen anything like it, but I’m very glad we’re all here for each other,” Alejandro said.

Santa Ana police urge public to report abandoned property after immigration arrest video sparks outrage

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/santa-ana-police-urge-public-to-report-abandoned-property-after-immigration-arrest-video-sparks-outrage

KTLA: ICE’s Gestapo pigs terrorize Pasadena family, kidnap mother

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ICE agents detain mother in Pasadena in front of children without showing a warrant (and the mother wasn’t who they were looking for — 3 masked men just jumped out of a car and grabbed her)

A mother walking with her children in Pasadena was taken into custody by immigration agents over the weekend in an incident that was partially captured on video and has drawn sharp criticism from witnesses.

Rosalina Luna Vargas, a mother of two and the primary breadwinner for her family, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on Saturday morning around 8 a.m., according to bystanders. Her children were present at the time of the incident, which took place in broad daylight in the corner of Catalina and Del Mar.

The encounter was recorded by Jillian Reed, a Caltech alum and local resident, who was driving by when she noticed a commotion on the sidewalk.

In the footage she captured, three individuals in plain clothes—two of whom were masked and wore badges on lanyards—can be seen attempting to force Vargas into an unmarked Honda Accord. A third man, appearing younger and without any visible identification, also participated.

“I saw the commotion while driving, and when I slowed down, the kids shouted for help,” Reed said. “They kept asking for a warrant. They told the officers they would stop resisting if they just showed them a warrant. One of the men said he had one but didn’t show it.”

The video cuts off just as Vargas’s daughter pleads with Reed to call the police. According to Reed, she did call 911, reporting what she believed at the time to be a possible kidnapping.

As the situation escalated, Vargas allegedly broke free from the agents and ran into the courtyard of the nearby Del Mar Park Assisted Living Facility, with her children following close behind. The agents pursued, but were confronted again by the children, who physically tried to shield their mother.

“They formed a human wall,” Reed said. “One of the kids clung to her, telling her, ‘Don’t let go! Don’t let go!’ while crying. Then he started shouting to the crowd, ‘I can’t lose my mom!’”

Reed said the staff at the assisted living facility intervened, telling the agents they were on private property and could not proceed without a warrant. The agents, she said, took photos of everyone present—including Reed—before leaving in two separate vehicles.

Pasadena police later arrived and took statements from those at the scene. According to Reed, ICE agents returned later and took Vargas into custody.

A family member told Reed the warrant in question was for someone else entirely, and that Vargas and her children had simply been “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Community members say the incident highlights growing concerns over ICE’s arrest tactics and the lack of transparency in operations conducted in public areas without coordination with local law enforcement.

Reed, still shaken, called the incident “horrific” and questioned whether law enforcement procedures were followed.

“Only two of the three men had badges, and none were in uniform,” she said. “I didn’t know if I was witnessing a hate crime or a kidnapping. And because they might have been law enforcement, I wasn’t even sure whether to call the police.”

ICE has not publicly released details about the arrest, including the charges or the identity of the agents involved.

The incident comes as federal immigration enforcement actions have intensified in parts of Southern California, prompting backlash in immigrant communities and renewed debate about due process, civil rights, and the rights of children in enforcement situations.

ICE agents detain mother in Pasadena in front of children without showing a warrant
A mother walking with her children in Pasadena was taken into custody by immigration agents over the weekend in an incident that was partially captured on video and has drawn sharp criticism from w…

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/ice-agents-detain-mother-in-pasadena-in-front-of-children-without-a-warrant