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Police in Huntington Park arrested a man this week who they said tried to impersonate a federal immigration agent.
The Tuesday arrest comes amid heightened fears over immigration enforcement sweeps by masked agents across Southern California.
Police arrested Fernando Diaz, 23, of Los Angeles after they found him in possession of an unlicensed handgun, three handheld radios mounted on the center console of his car, and a list of radio codes for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to city officials.
LAist is working to find out whether Diaz has an attorney, and if he has been charged in court.
Details about the arrest
According to Huntington Park officials, police officers were initially drawn to a car, later linked to Diaz, that was parked without a handicap placard in a handicapped space. They said the car was an unmarked Dodge Durango with red and blue lights like the ones law enforcement use hidden under the car’s visors.
LA man arrested on suspicion of impersonating federal immigration agent in Huntington Park
Officers ran the plates with dispatch and learned it was not registered to law enforcement.
Diaz claimed he worked as a security guard and had been with Customs and Border Protection but could not provide any identifying information, according to Huntington Beach Police Chief Cosme Lozano.
“A sheet containing radio codes, multiple copies of passports not registered to the individual’s name and other miscellaneous items indicative of criminal activity,” Lozano said at a Friday news conference.
The chief said Diaz also had official-looking documents bearing the name Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection.
Diaz was arrested on an outstanding DUI warrant. He had a prior arrest related to human smuggling, but no conviction, according to city officials.
LAist has reached out to the county District Attorney’s Office for more information about any charges that may have been filed against Diaz. We will update the story when we get a response.
Heightened fears over ICE raids
Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores noted the arrest comes as people are facing raids by masked immigration agents in unmarked cars.
“The presence of law enforcement style equipment without any verified authority raises serious concerns,” Flores said. “When people cannot trust who is enforcing the law, public safety is undermined and fear begins to take hold.”
“We cannot allow bad actors — whether they are rogue individuals or unauthorized impersonators — to intimidate and exploit our community,” he added.
On Wednesday, the Huntington Park City Council passed a resolution directing police to verify the identity of anyone claiming to be a federal immigration agent in the city.
“Let me be clear, Huntington Park is not attempting to obstruct legal federal operations. What we are saying is simple, if you are acting with federal authority, then show it,” Flores said. “Do not hide behind unmarked vehicles and face masks.”
Flores said local law enforcement has sought for decades to build trust with immigrant communities, but current ICE operations are eroding that.
“There is a better way to conduct enforcement — one that does not terrorize neighborhoods or blur the line between lawful action and dangerous intimidation,” he said.
The city resolution also said Huntington Park “strongly condemns using unmarked vehicles, masked agents, and unidentifiable personnel in immigration enforcement activities conducted within the City, and views such tactics as harmful to public trust, community safety, and constitutional protections.”
Meantime, a new California bill — called the “No Vigilantes Act” — would require law enforcement working in the state to clearly display identification information, including either name or badge number, and ban bounty hunters from engaging in any form of immigration enforcement.