Community members are demanding answers after they say a woman was taken to the hospital after an immigration enforcement operation in Ladera Heights.
The operation happened at a Home Depot on Slauson Avenue on Saturday morning. Witnesses tell NBC4 the woman was monitoring an immigration enforcement operation when she was detained and then taken to a hospital.
Witness video from a Ladera Heights Home Depot this morning shows a woman screaming as she is detained by federal agents. At one point, she identifies herself as an American.
“Let me go. I am an American who was born here,” the woman is heard yelling. She is also heard pleading for someone to call her family and a lawyer, giving out her name. “My name is Rachel Simon. I am an American citizen. I was born here. Please.”
It’s still unclear what led up to the confrontation. Witnesses say she is a member of the HILL Network, a community immigration defense group, and that she was monitoring the area.
“She goes there to protect day laborers. Twice a week, she’s there,” said Quetzal, a community organizer.
On social media, the group said a woman named Rachel S. was injured and detained by federal agents at that same Home Depot and then was transported to Cedars Sinai in Marina del Rey.
Hours later, demonstrators gathered at the hospital, demanding answers. A statement from the hospital confirmed federal agents were present after being at a nearby business, but offered no details on why.
“We are aware that federal agents were seen at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital following activity at a nearby place of business. We cannot comment on patient care due to state and federal privacy laws,” wrote Cedar-Sinai in a statement to NBC4.
The LAPD was also at the hospital and said officers initially responded to reports of masked men, but once they saw they were federal agents, they backed off.
Pedro, a day laborer who did not want to be identified, says he saw five SUVs arrive with about 20 federal agents and detained about eight people.
His account echoes the concerns of community organizers who say operations like this have a devastating impact on families
“People need to know that these are real lives. That they have families, that they are destroying families in half,” said Quetzal.
NBC4 has reached out to DHS for information on the operation. The federal agency has acknowledged the request but has yet to respond.
Details on the woman’s condition were not immediately available. According to the HILL Network, the woman was released from custody; it’s unclear if she will face any charges.