A man who witnessed an immigration raid at a Pacoima shopping plaza said he was forcefully removed and taken into custody for simply filming the activity.
On June 19, Arturo Hermosillo said he spotted federal agents detaining several day laborers outside a Lowe’s store.
He was sitting in his van and took out his cellphone to record the detainments. When the agents spotted Hermosillo filming, they reportedly opened the car door and demanded that he step outside.
“They opened the vehicle and they dragged me out,” Hermosillo told KTLA’s Ellina Abovian. “I told them I’m not doing anything illegal.”
Footage from a bystander showed several agents forcefully removing Hermosillo from the driver’s seat, grabbing him by the neck, upper body and legs, before he was pushed onto the ground and handcuffed.
He was arrested and placed into a van before he was taken to a Department of Homeland Security building in downtown L.A..
Hermosillo was later released. He said the ordeal was frustrating because he was not committing a crime.
He believes there’s a lack of transparency when it comes to federal immigration raids happening across Southern California.
“We should be able to have open arms for people who want to work,” he said. “These are hard-working people. This is Indigenous land. They belong here, we belong here.”
KTLA reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for details on Hermosillo’s arrest and whether he would be charged with any crimes and is awaiting a response.
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