Video that appears to show federal immigration agents using their vehicle to ram the truck of an immigrant rights activist has sparked controversy and public outrage in the city of Oxnard, an agricultural town that has been the frequent target of immigration raids.<\/p>\n
At the center of the controversy is a claim by federal agents that the activist was the aggressor, ramming into their vehicle. <\/p>\n
The incident began shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents notified the Oxnard Police Department that their vehicle had been rammed by a civilian\u2019s vehicle near the intersection of 8th and A streets, according to Sgt. Martin Cook.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe responded, and ICE agents detained an individual, and a crowd started to gather,\u201d Cook said. \u201cWe were there to keep the peace and prevent any type of altercation with ICE or any other federal agency.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cook said that federal agencies took control of the investigation. He did not know if the person arrested by agents requested a police report and referred all questions to the Homeland Security Department, which oversees agencies including ICE and Customs and Border Protection.<\/p>\n
VC Defensa, an immigrant rights group that has been documenting immigration raids in the region, said on Instagram<\/a> that one of its volunteers, whom the group identified as Leo Martinez, had been arrested.<\/p>\n The group also released video taken by witnesses that they said showed that federal agents\u2019 allegation against Martinez was false.<\/p>\n \u201cICE intentionally struck Leo\u2019s truck and blocked his exit while Leo was exercising his right to observe ICE activity,\u201d the group stated in one of its Instagram posts.<\/p>\n The video starts with a Jeep Cherokee with tinted windows tailing a dark gray truck before ramming the passenger door on the driver\u2019s side. The driver of the truck then pulls into a dirt lot, where the group says Martinez was arrested.<\/p>\n \u201cThis shameful escalation by ICE is nothing more than an attempt to intimidate those of conscience who are standing up against Trump\u2019s assault on immigrants,\u201d the group said on Instagram. \u201cWe will not be deterred, and we will continue to keep our communities safe.\u201d<\/p>\n The incident is the latest controversy involving federal immigration agents that has not only sparked outrage among activists and residents but also raised questions about some of the claims agents made previously. <\/p>\n Two months ago, federal immigration officers stopped Francisco Longoria in San Bernardino. During the encounter, Longoria, who was in his truck with his 18-year-old son and 23-year-old son-in-law, said he feared for their safety and drove off after masked officers shattered his car window and an officer fired several rounds at the truck<\/a>.<\/p>\n Homeland Security officials have said officers were injured during the encounter when Longoria tried to \u201crun them down,\u201d prompting one officer to \u201cdischarge his firearm in self-defense.\u201d<\/p>\n Attorneys for Longoria dispute that their client injured the officers or attempted to hit them and have called for an investigation of the shooting<\/a>.<\/p>\n In June, Arturo Hermosillo was accused of ramming his van against a federal agent\u2019s vehicle<\/a> when he was instructed by the agents to move his van back to make room for an ambulance for a woman who had been injured during an immigration sweep.<\/p>\n Hermosillo was reversing when he said a federal agent standing near the vehicle pushed in his side view mirror, blocking his view; Hermosillo subsequently bumped into a vehicle behind him. Shortly after, agents pulled him out of the van.<\/p>\n Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin told The Times in an email at the time that a person \u201crammed his vehicle into a law enforcement vehicle\u201d during the June 19 operation<\/p>\n \u201cCBP Agents were also assaulted during the operation and verbally harassed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Videos that day did not capture any assaults; they showed residents yelling at agents.<\/p>\n The incident in Oxnard echoes a level of aggression by federal agents seen on the streets of Chicago.<\/p>\n A Chicago-area mayor said ICE agents used excessive force<\/a> when making arrests at a cemetery. A pastor who was protesting at a detention center was shot in the head with a pepper ball.<\/a> Troubled by the clashes between agents and the public, one federal judge is considering ordering agents to wear body cameras.<\/a><\/p>\n