Family members are demanding answers after they say a man who is a U.S. citizen was wrongfully detained by federal agents during an immigration raid in Montebello.
On June 12, surveillance video captured the moment several masked and armed agents surrounded a tow truck business in Montebello.
The agents quickly entered the property and began detaining mechanics and other workers at the site.
One of the detained men who was later released spoke to KTLA but did not wish to be identified out of safety concerns. He said he was violently grabbed and taken by the agents despite being a U.S. citizen.
“He slammed me to the gate,” the man told KTLA’s Ellina Abovian. “He put my hands behind my back. I’m an American citizen. You do not do that to Americans.”
Nataly Degante, whose cousin, Javier Ramirez, 32, was also detained in the raid, said that while agents began handcuffing everyone, they reportedly never provided identification or information about why they were there.
“We see in the video that they don’t come with a warrant,” she said. “They don’t have any documentation in their hands.”
Degante said her cousin is a U.S. citizen and a single father of two young children. She described him as a hard worker with no criminal record.
Video of the raid shows some workers being moved to the ground as agents quickly handcuffed them. Ramirez is also seen on the video yelling to the agents that he’s a citizen.
“He’s telling them he is a U.S. citizen and he’s letting them know, ‘My passport is in my pocket,’” Degante said.
However, Ramirez was handcuffed and taken into custody. His brother tried following Ramirez’s location through his cell phone’s tracking app, but the signal was eventually lost. His family has not heard from him since.
“We haven’t heard anything about him,” said Abimael Dominguez, his brother. “He’s diabetic. I don’t even know if he has insulin yet or has he eaten? We don’t know anything. “
It remains unclear whether the agents were with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Some of the agents appeared to be wearing uniforms with a Border Patrol insignia.
“I voted, but not for this,” said the man who was detained and later released. “I’m an American citizen. I want the best for all of us. I feel like there is due process that we must follow.”
“They’re not only taking criminals, they are taking our community,” Degante said.
As of Friday afternoon, Homeland Security has not responded to KTLA’s request for comment about why Ramirez was detained or whether he was wanted for any crimes.
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