U.S. citizen activist who was arrested and then freed says ICE agents are acting out of frustration

A volunteer activist who reports on ICE activity in Ventura County experienced a chaotic day on Thursday after he was detained for exercising his right to observe ICE activity.

A little after 7 a.m., an ICE vehicle crashed into the volunteer’s truck. The volunteer, identified as Leo, a U.S. citizen, was then arrested and taken to the detention center in downtown Los Angeles (DTLA). 

A video posted on social media showed the vehicle belonging to ICE officers crashing into a Nissan truck in the 800 block of South ‘A’ Street at around 7:48 am in the city of Oxnard. 

The Oxnard Police Department (OPD) responded to the incident. On social media, they stated that ICE agents reported that they were pursuing a grey Nissan Frontier that had allegedly collided with a Jeep Grand Cherokee and sped away. 

“Police units responded and conducted a traffic stop on the Nissan in the area of 8th/‘A’ Streets,” said the OPD via social media. “Our officers made initial contact with an adult male, who was cooperative with our officers.”  

Leo, who is part of VCDefensa, a group of volunteers that reports immigration activity, was then arrested. Images showed the OPD supporting the ICE activity by prohibiting pedestrian access with yellow tape.

However, more volunteers immediately arrived and started recording the situation. With several live posts and following the federal agents' activity, the volunteers followed them from the location where Leo was arrested to Los Robles hospital, where he was taken after the crash, and eventually ended at the federal building in downtown Los Angeles.

The group gathered more volunteers and other pro-immigrant groups such as the PSL Los Angeles, PSL San Fernando, SPJ CSUCI, CSUCI Students for Quality Education, Valley Defensa,  who protested with speakers and sights calling for the release of Leo.

A movement with positive results

At around 3:05 p.m., Leo was finally released and walked out of the federal building in Los Angeles. 

He thanked the community for the support and said that in the morning, when he was following ICE activity, he was at a good distance to avoid interfering with their actions. Then they walked to him, he tried to create more distance with his truck, and that’s when they followed him and crashed into his truck. 

He said from the moment he was arrested, he felt calm because he knew there was a group of volunteers backing him up, and many are trained and know how to respond in these situations. 

“They [ICE] smashed into me and they tried to accuse me of assaulting them,” said Leo during his brief speech in front of the federal building. “I know I didn’t do anything wrong, that’s why they let me go with ‘pending charges’.”

Leo said after listening to the ICE officers' conversations, he realized they are not properly trained and are getting frustrated more and more. 

He also verified that the majority of the federal officers inside the federal building are Latinos, and for him, that is very disheartening. He said groups like VC Defensa have a job to report on injustices, not so much for them, but to honor the hard work by their ancestors who came to this country, paving a new path for the new generations. 

“We have to remember why we are doing this,” he said. “This is the least we can do for our parents and undocumented family members who have been mistreated in their jobs and have lived under threats.”