U.S. citizen detained in Hollywood immigration raid speaks out

A Southern California man who is a U.S. citizen is speaking out after he said he was tackled and detained during an immigration raid outside a Home Depot in Hollywood.

On June 18, agents believed to be with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surrounded the store’s parking lot and were blocking people from exiting.

Around 7:45 a.m., witnesses said several unmarked SUVs arrived and agents quickly moved in on around a dozen people gathered outside the store. A man said he saw agents tackle a person to the ground without warning, pressing his face into the dirt before taking him into custody.

One person swept up in the raids was Job Garcia, a 37-year-old doctorate student at Claremont Graduate University. Garcia, who is a U.S. citizen, works as a Home Depot deliveryman on the weekends to earn extra money for school.

That morning, he arrived at the store to pick up a delivery order when armed agents suddenly surrounded the parking lot. Realizing what was happening, he picked up his cellphone and began recording the activity. 

“At the end of the parking lot, they started gathering around a van with a gentleman inside, probably in his 50s or 60s,” Garcia told KTLA’s Mary Beth McDade.

In the video, agents are heard telling the man to step out of his truck before they used a baton to smash the driver’s side window.

“They broke his window and that’s when all the bystanders who were recording said, ‘You have no right to be doing that!’” Garcia said.

Garcia and several others walked over to the man being detained and began informing him of his rights. Video showed one federal agent growing agitated and stepping forward as yelling could be heard from bystanders. 

“That’s when he lunged at me,” Garcia said. “I’m still recording, so he pushes me and puts both hands on me and I push his hand off and he didn’t like that.”

The agent grabbed Garcia’s left hand and tackled him to the ground. Several agents quickly ran over and helped forcefully pin Garcia to the ground.

“Somebody had their hand on my neck, in my head area and two other agents had their knees on my back pressing down,” he recalled.

Garcia said he was among 30 detainees who were brought to Dodger Stadium where federal agents eventually verified his American citizenship. He said the stadium is reportedly being used as a hub for detainees.

He was then transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown L.A. where he was held for 24 hours before being released. 

Garcia said he’s still recovering from several injuries incurred during the ordeal and said he plans to file a lawsuit over the violent detainment.

KTLA has reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for details on Garcia’s detainment and whether he would be charged with any crimes and is awaiting a response.