U.S. citizen detained in San Pedro by masked federal agents during an observation patrol

San Pedro, Calif. — A woman participating in a grassroots observation effort at Terminal Island was violently detained in the early hours of Thursday morning by masked individuals believed to be federal agents, sparking concern among community members.

The woman, identified as Amanda Trebach, is a member of Unión del Barrio, which is part of the Community Self-Defense Coalition. She was reportedly monitoring the movement of federal vehicles alongside members of the Harbor Area Peace Patrol. The community-led collective has been observing ICE and Border Patrol around San Pedro, Wilmington, and the Port of Los Angeles for months.

Supporters say the arrest was not random but part of a targeted effort by federal agents. Unión del Barrio member Guadalupe Carrasco Cardona spoke during a press conference on Thursday afternoon, stating that Trebach was targeted for her political activism.

“She never broke the law,” Cardona asserts, “we are denouncing the U.S. government for kidnapping her and making her a political prisoner.”

According to Cardona, Trebach had reported an earlier encounter on August 4, when Border Patrol agents allegedly tried to box her car in near Terminal Island after she documented a caravan arriving from a workplace raid at the Hollywood Home Depot. 

After her arrest on August 8, multiple eyewitnesses came forward to share their accounts of events that unfolded. The video footage of the incident shows agents pinning Trebach face-down, handcuffing then escorting her away in a Black unmarked van.

Another member of the Community Self-Defense Coalition, who identified herself as Cynthia, spoke during the press conference. She highlighted the targeted attacks against local activists by federal agents. “We know that they have gone after other members of our coalitions,” she said. 

Cynthia also pointed to mounting evidence that federal officers have repeatedly provided false or misleading information in official records.  In a recent investigation by The Guardian, Immigration enforcement agents were shown to have made demonstrably false statements in their reports about several protesters arrested during mass demonstrations in Los Angeles this past June. This, she states, is just another example that “Federal agents are consistently lying to justify their arrest.”

According to a statement released by Unión del Barrio, the agents on site claimed Trebach was arrested because she “assaulted” a federal vehicle, although witnesses say that statement is a lie. Federal sources are now stating Trebach was arrested in connection with an “interference of federal officers,” although no further details or charges have been made public. 

Advocates are pushing back against the narrative that Treback acted unlawfully, saying the incident appears more like a targeted abduction. 

Trebach’s family and friends continue to demand her release and have asked elected officials and community members to call for her release and a full dismissal of all charges being brought against her.