San Diego police say federal agents conducted an operation inside an apartment complex in Linda Vista on Wednesday.
It happened at the Mesa Vista Apartments on Linda Vista Road. Cellphone video shows several agents and unmarked cars in the area.
“All of the sudden, I started seeing them put tactical gear on, and my first thought was, ‘This is ICE showing up right now at my apartment complex,’ and my first instinct, I was trying to leave the complex, but they were blocking the whole area off with their cars,” one neighbor told NBC 7. “It’s my neighbors, and I live next to these people. They are hardworking people. I don’t believe that they should be targeted like this.”
The San Diego Police Department said it was asked by Homeland Security for cover and to help maintain safety during the operation.
In part of a statement, SDPD said: “The San Diego Police Department has repeatedly stated that it does not participate in Immigration enforcement and is strictly prohibited from doing so, per state law (SB 54).”
It is unclear how many people — if any — were detained. NBC 7 reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more information on the operation but has yet to hear back.