Masked immigration authorities were recorded on video this week following a woman back to her Louisiana home during what the Department of Homeland Security is calling a \u201ctargeted immigration enforcement operation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacelynn Guzman, 23, was walking home Thursday from a corner store in Marrero, a New Orleans suburb, when a silver, unmarked SUV pulled up next to her and two masked agents exited, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was walking and the first car pulled up on the side of me and I thought it was an Uber,\u201d she said. \u201cThey said, \u2018Wait don\u2019t run, Ma\u2019am.\u2019 That\u2019s all I heard before I blasted off,\u201d Guzman told NBC News on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Guzman said she repeatedly told the agents she\u2019s a U.S. citizen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just kept repeating it \u2014 I\u2019m a U.S.-born citizen. I was born and raised here. This is my home. My baby\u2019s waiting for me,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n
She said an agent responded by saying, \u201cOK, that\u2019s fine, come here,\u201d but she kept running. She said a second SUV pulled up shortly after.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as I started running, one of the cars started speeding up with me, but then he went ahead of me and I felt like he thought maybe I was going to keep running,\u201d Guzman said.<\/p>\n
Security footage shared with NBC News by Guzman\u2019s mother, Ramona Anglin, showed an SUV pulling up next to Guzman before two masked agents appeared on foot tailing behind Guzman as she ran to her property.<\/p>\n
She screamed \u201cLeave me alone\u201d and then disappeared out of view, apparently into the home. The two masked men chased after her but stopped running at the property line, the video shows.<\/p>\n
A second video Anglin shared with NBC News showed Guzman\u2019s stepfather shouting at five agents from inside the property line.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet the f— out of here,\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n
The agents left in two SUVs shortly afterward, the video shows.<\/p>\n
On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security reposted the security footage published by a local news outlet and offered an explanation of the events.<\/p>\n
\u201cU.S. Border Patrol was conducting a targeted immigration enforcement operation against a criminal illegal alien previously charged with felony theft and convicted of illegal possession of stolen property,\u201d the agency said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the agents exited their vehicle, they encountered a female matching the description of the target. Agents identified themselves and the individual ran toward her residence,\u201d the department wrote. \u201cAgents immediately stopped upon reaching the property, determined the individual in question was not the target, and all agents departed the area.\u201d<\/p>\n
No arrests were made, DHS added.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for DHS did not immediately return a request for further comment.<\/p>\n
Guzman said she\u2019s doing \u201cOK\u201d since the ordeal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI keep playing over different things I could have done. But I think in that moment it was just panic and my first thought was I have to get home to my baby,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She said she was aware of federal immigration operations detaining people, adding, \u201cI kind of was always watching my back, but not as much I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n
She urged people to \u201cbe strong\u201d amid the immigration crackdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know it\u2019s hard to be strong in such difficult times, but just be safe, watch over your family,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The video from Marrero comes days after the Trump administration launched immigration enforcement operations<\/a> in New Orleans and Minneapolis. Trump also said on Tuesday<\/a> that he would be sending National Guard troops to Louisiana.<\/p>\n