𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗣'𝗦 𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗨𝗟𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝟯𝟮 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗪𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗢𝗡 𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 𝗜𝗡 𝗟𝗢𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗕𝗘𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗖

 compiled from several news articles including The Guardian.

Arrested for Being Latina: The Case of Andrea Velez and the Growing Threat to U.S. Citizens in Immigration Raids

On an ordinary Tuesday morning in downtown Los Angeles, 32-year-old Andrea Velez, a U.S. citizen and graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, was on her way to work at Top Pick Global. She had just been dropped off by her mother and sister when she was suddenly surrounded and detained by plainclothes immigration agents.

Her family, watching from their car just yards away, described the scene as nothing short of a “kidnapping.” “My mom looked in the rearview mirror and she saw how my sister was attacked from the back,” said Estrella Rosas, Andrea’s sister. “She was like: ‘They’re kidnapping your sister.’”

The chaos unfolded in front of witnesses who began recording the incident. Videos show Andrea being surrounded, lifted off the ground, and carried away by ICE agents. In the footage, police officers stand by, offering no assistance, even as Andrea and her family pleaded for help and explained that she is a U.S. citizen. The LAPD, bound by California law not to assist ICE in immigration enforcement, instead focused on crowd control—keeping bystanders off the street while ICE agents carried out the arrest.

For more than 24 hours, Andrea’s family had no idea where she was. Her attorneys, Dominique Boubion and others, described the process of locating her as a legal labyrinth. “It took us four hours to find her and we’re attorneys,” Boubion said. “That’s crazy.”

Federal authorities later claimed Andrea was arrested for assaulting an ICE officer. In court, the charge was downgraded to “obstructing” an officer. The accusation: Andrea supposedly raised her arms to block an agent from pursuing someone else. But according to Andrea and multiple witnesses, it was the agent who charged at her without warning, knocking her to the ground without asking for ID or clarification about her citizenship.

Andrea’s family believes the real reason for her arrest was racial profiling. “The only thing wrong with her … was the color of her skin,” her mother, Margarita Flores, told CBS Los Angeles.

The incident is not isolated. U.S. citizens—particularly Latinos—have increasingly found themselves wrongfully targeted during immigration raids. A government report revealed that from 2015 to 2020, ICE wrongfully deported at least 70 U.S. citizens, arrested 674, and detained 121.

Recent examples illustrate a troubling trend:

• Brian Gavidia, a U.S. citizen, was detained after showing ICE agents his Real ID. He was pushed against a fence, questioned about his birthplace, and later falsely accused of assault—though video footage showed no such act. ICE did not press charges but never returned his ID.

• Adrian Martinez, 20, was arrested during a break at Walmart after reportedly trying to intervene in the detainment of a friend. Border Patrol claimed he punched an agent, though video evidence contradicted the accusation. After three days in detention, the charge was changed to “conspiracy to impede or injure an officer.”

These cases reveal a systemic problem. ICE agents have broad discretion and little accountability. Their stated policy allows for deception—called “ruses”—to detain individuals under false pretenses. Arrests of U.S. citizens count toward enforcement quotas, whether or not the charges stick.

ICE has repeatedly claimed that its mission targets “serious criminals,” but its own data paints a different picture:

• 75% of those in ICE detention have only immigration or traffic-related violations.

• 47% have no criminal conviction at all.

• Just 9% of detainees are classified as “serious criminals.”

This data suggests that ICE operations prioritize volume over validity, sweeping up whoever is convenient—sometimes even American citizens—under the guise of immigration enforcement.

For Andrea Velez, what should have been a typical day at work turned into a traumatic ordeal. Released on a $5,000 bond, she now faces uncertain legal proceedings, while ICE maintains the story that she obstructed an officer.

What happened to Andrea is not just a bureaucratic mistake—it is a stark warning. Citizenship is no longer a guarantee of protection when racial profiling and institutional overreach go unchecked. As her sister said through tears, “She’s a U.S. citizen. They’re taking her. Help her, someone.”

Andrea’s case demands more than outrage—it calls for urgent accountability and reform. Because if this can happen to her, it can happen to anyone.