A woman working at a Mission Valley hotel was arrested by federal agents Thursday morning in an incident that was caught on video and mirrored some of the tactics being used nationwide in the Trump administration’s push to detain undocumented immigrants.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said that the woman was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection agents for “being present in the U.S. after entry without inspection.”
The woman was later released with a Notice to Appear in court with an ankle monitor due to childcare issues, the federal agency said.
In the video showing part of the incident, two plainclothes agents — one wearing a yellow vest similar to those used by construction workers — handcuff the woman, who is sitting on the floor of the Handlery Hotel San Diego parking lot. The woman can be heard screaming and crying as she is being restrained.
“Nobody deserves to be treated like that,” said Brigette Browning, who leads the hotel workers’ union in San Diego. “She was not a criminal. She was going to work every day so she could take care of her son. She’s a single mom. This is not making any of us safer, and it’s terrorizing our workers.”
Browning said the incident occurred while a group of housekeepers, including the woman who was arrested, were walking through the parking lot on their way to work.
The video, taken by another hotel worker, was shared Friday on social media by the California Federation of Labor Unions President Lorena González, as well as Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and U.S. Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego.
The leaders condemned the agency’s tactics. Peters said that he will “continue to demand accountability.”
Samara Talavera, the hotel worker who captured the incident on video, said it was painful to watch. “She (came) to work just like everyone else, out of necessity. Hotel work is very hard … and what they did is not right,” she said.
Talavera said she was still processing what happened. The image of her being held on the ground has continued to haunt her, she said. “You feel helpless because she was asking for help,” she said, “but we couldn’t do anything.”
Management at the Handlery did not return a message seeking comment on Friday.
Concern has mounted in recent weeks over the tactics federal agencies are using to make such arrests in public spaces, including agents wearing civilian clothing that doesn’t clearly identify them as law enforcement, disguising their faces behind masks and using unmarked vehicles.
The San Diego Police Department issued a statement on social media reiterating it was “not involved in this incident in any way.” The department stated that the arrest was conducted by members of the federal maritime task force operating under the Department of Homeland Security.
Browning said that the union is trying to help the woman find legal representation.