Immigration
Step-by-step with ICE: a day of detentions in the state with the most undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
One of the nine Immigration and Customs Enforcement fugitive detention teams in Los Angeles allowed Univision News to follow along on July 11, 2017, to witness officers' day-to-day operations in the San Fernando Valley. By the end of the day, agents had detained three Mexicans with criminal records, which added to the more than 2,200 arrests since January in this region.
At 5:00 a.m. a team of 14 immigration agents meet to share details of the upcoming operation in the San Fernando Valley.
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Almost all ICE officers on this team are of Hispanic origin.
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Five undocumented immigrants with criminal records were on the list.
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Carlos, the first target of the operation, had been monitored by ICE for a few days.
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As planned, the arrest occurred when the immigrant went to load his pick-up truck outside an apartment complex in Northridge.
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An officer checks tattoos on Carlos' back. They identify him as a member of the 'Sureños' gang.
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According to ICE, he has been convicted of drunk driving twice and for two minor drug related offenses.
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An agent talked to a relative of the detainee, who said he was working in construction.
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Carlos told Univision News that it hurt that he was arrested in front of his family.
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The immigrant said his used boots were proof that he now earns an honest living.
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Since January, the ICE office in Los Angeles, whose jurisdiction covers seven counties in southern California, has arrested more than 2,200 immigrants.
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Agents surround a house in the Reseda neighborhood, home to the second target of the day.
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One of the ICE agents knocked on the door and exclaimed "Police!" Local officials have criticized that practice.
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Knocking on the door is no longer the first option for officers, as there is a risk the target could respond with violence. Many immigrants also know that they are not obliged to open the door.
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Two agents stood guard outside the house, while others checked to see if the man they were looking for had escaped on foot.
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They learned the man had opened the door and asked for time to put on a t-shirt, but ran instead into the backyard.
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The escape unleashed a foot and car chase, which sped through the neighborhood.
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ICE agents detained the immigrant just a few blocks from his home.
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Eduardo is accused of selling drugs, drunk driving, resisting arrest and forgery.
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This 48-year-old Mexican had been deported twice.
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Since the beginning of the fiscal year, on Oct. 1, ICE has detained more than 5,400 people in Southern California.
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The agency acknowledged that 10 percent of the immigrants in detention had no criminal record.
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One of every two ICE agents in charge of capturing fugitives in Southern California is of Hispanic origin.
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The criminal history of one of the day's ICE targets.
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David Marin, director of operations for ICE in Los Angeles, is one of the Hispanic agents.
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Agent Marin talks to the ICE officers at the end of the day.
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Immigrants were transferred to an ICE Detention Center in Camarillo, Ventura County.
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Another detained Mexican, Eduardo, was also taken to the immigration center in Camarillo.
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Detained migrants are reviewed before being prosecuted.
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Carlos removes his shoelaces before being taken to a cell.
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Eduardo was left without shoes, on a leash.
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Of the five targets for the day, ICE only managed to capture three men.
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An immigrant is fingerprinted in custody.
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Eduardo said he would return to his native Guerrero and never return to the United States.
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Carlos said that he will try to return to this country, where he's lived since he was a child.
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