ICE detained a U.S. citizen in L.A. and charged her with obstructing an arrest
Andrea Velez appeared in federal court Thursday charged with assaulting a federal officer while he was attempting to arrest a suspect and was released on $5,000 bail. She did not enter a plea and is due back in court on July 17.
The arrest comes as ICE and other federal agents have arrested thousands of people, many of whom have not committed any crimes. President Donald Trump promised aggressive immigration enforcement and mass deportations as part of his campaign platform.
Velez's sister, Estrella Rosas, and their mother saw the incident unfold moments after dropping Velez off at 9th and Main Street, where she works as a marketing designer. Rosas said she saw officers throw Velez to the ground and then put her in an unmarked vehicle.
"We dropped off my sister to go to work like we always do. All of a sudden, my mom in the rearview mirror, she saw how a man went on top of her. Basically, dropped her on the floor and started putting her in handcuffs and trying to arrest her," Rosas told NBC Los Angeles.
Rosas recorded her and her mother's reaction while watching the arrest. "That's my sister. They're taking her. Help her, someone. She's a U.S. citizen," Rosas says in the video.
The Union Del Barrio group, which supports Latin American and Mexican communities, posted video to Instagram that shows four officers detaining someone on the ground at the scene.
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement that Velez was arrested for "impeding an arrest after she forcefully obstructed an ICE officer by making physical contact with him."
Luis Hipolito was also arrested at the same time for allegedly assaulting an ICE officer, she said. McLaughlin said both he and Velez "kept ICE law enforcement from arresting the target illegal alien of their operation."
"Secretary Noem has been clear: if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," McLaughin said. She added, without citing evidence nor a timeframe, that ICE officers face a 500% increase in assaults.
A criminal complaint alleges that Velez "stepped into an officer's path and and extended one of her arms in an apparent effort to prevent him from apprehending a male suspect he was chasing and that Velez's outstretched arm struck that officer in the face."
But Velez and her family dispute this and are considering launching a civil lawsuit against the federal officers.
"Andrea is a victim of excessive use of force by federal agents, they had no right to stop her and no right to beat her. What you see in the videos is police brutality," Luis Carillo, Velez's attorney, told NBC Los Angeles.
The LAPD said it was called to the scene in response to a report of a kidnapping in progress by individuals who wouldn't identify themselves, but officers arrived to find a federal operation. The police said they had no prior knowledge of the operation and that while the crowd became "increasingly agitated," they made no arrests.
The statement mentioned the arrest of a woman, thought to be Velez, but did not mention her by name nor mention any alleged assault.
"At one point, a partially handcuffed woman approached and stood near a LAPD officer. After several minutes, a Federal agent approached and assumed control of the woman. LAPD was not involved in her detention or arrest," the police statement said.
Rosas, who is also a U.S. citizen, said her older sister is a graduate of Cal Poly and has never been in trouble with the law.
"When I saw the videos, they made me feel really upset," she said. "I'm a U.S. citizen, my sister is a U.S. citizen and we have rights and they violated her rights, so it doesn't make me feel secure that they're going to protect or respect my rights."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Bolivia's left in historic defeat as presidential vote set for October runoff
LA PAZ, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Centrist senator Rodrigo Paz was leading Bolivia's presidential election late on Sunday, according to early official results, which showed the ruling Movement for Socialism (MAS) on track for its worst election defeat in a generation. Paz of the Christian Democratic Party had secured 32.18% of the vote, while Eduardo del Castillo of MAS had just 3.16%, according to initial results released by the electoral tribunal on Sunday night. Conservative former President Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga of the Alianza coalition was in second with 26.94% of the vote. "Bolivia is not just asking for a change in government, it's asking for a change in the political system," Paz said in a speech broadcast on Sunday night. "This is the beginning of a great victory, of a great transformation," he added, as his supporters chanted "renewal." Earlier on Sunday, Quiroga acknowledged the results, confirming his place in the runoff, and congratulated Paz on his performance. Outgoing President Luis Arce released an upbeat statement recognizing the results. "Democracy has triumphed," the statement read. If no presidential candidate obtains more than 40% of the vote with a 10-point lead, the election will be decided in a runoff on October 19. Full official results will be announced within seven days. Paz's strong performance surprised analysts. Opinion polls had suggested that the senator, with roughly 10% support, was far behind Quiroga and center-right candidate Samuel Doria Medina of the Unidad Alliance coalition. Businessman Medina conceded defeat on Sunday and said he would support Paz in an eventual runoff. Sunday's general election has been overshadowed by inflation at a four-decade high and the absence of former leftist president Evo Morales, who was barred from running and criticized the vote. But Morales' calls to boycott the election appeared to fall flat. Voter turnout on Sunday was steady, authorities said. Despite earlier concerns that the electoral process could be obstructed by supporters of Morales, who had called on the public to boycott the race, international observers said there were no major disruptions. Several minor incidents took place at polling stations in the central region of Cochabamba, Morales' political stronghold. With a crowded field of eight contenders and no dominant MAS party candidate, the election marked a "crossroads moment" for Bolivia, said Southern Andes analyst Glaeldys Gonzalez Calanche of the International Crisis Group. Bolivia's fragile economy has been at the top of many voters' minds. Price rises have surged past other Latin American countries this year, and fuel and dollars have run scarce. Annual inflation doubled to 23% in June, up from 12% in January, with some Bolivians turning to cryptocurrencies as a hedge. Many Bolivians, especially those who work in the informal economy, were now struggling to make ends meet, said economist Roger Lopez. "Bolivia is on the brink," said Lopez. "It has no dollars and faces obligations that must be paid in dollars, and voters understand that the coming years will be difficult." Early election results indicated millions of voters chose to punish MAS on Sunday, creating a window of opportunity for the first time in nearly two decades for centrists and the right, which together commanded roughly three quarters of the vote, the early count showed. "Every year the situation has got worse under this government," said Silvia Morales, 30, from La Paz, a retail worker. A former MAS voter, she said this time she would cast her vote for the center-right. Carlos Blanco Casas, 60, a teacher in La Paz, said he intended to vote for change. "This election feels hopeful. We need a change of direction," he said. Quiroga has promised "radical change" to reverse what he calls "20 lost years" under MAS rule. He supports deep public spending cuts and a shift away from alliances with Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. Quiroga was president for a year in 2001-2002 after Bolivia's then-leader resigned. Paz, meanwhile, plans to decentralize government by introducing a "50-50 economic model" in which the central government would manage only half of public funds. The remainder would be designated to regional governments. Silvia Morales, 30, a former MAS voter from La Paz, said she had cast her ballot for Paz on Sunday. "He's a new face with experience," she said, "I think we should make space for new opportunities." Voters also elected all 26 senators and 130 deputies, and officials will take office on November 8.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Bolivia set to elect first non-left wing president in two decades
Bolivia is set to elect a non-left wing president after nearly two decades of near-continuous rule by the incumbent socialist party, according to official preliminary Rodrigo Paz Pereira and former president Jorge Quiroga came in first and second place respectively in Sunday's presidential received a high enough share of the vote to secure an outright win, so the vote will go to a run-off between these two candidates, due in Pereira, of the Christian Democratic Party, was a surprise vote leader, after opinion polls had suggested Samuel Doria Medina, a businessman, was the frontrunner. The electoral authorities said it can take up to three days to finalise the Pereira's campaign focused on redistributing more funds away from central government towards regional entities, and fighting corruption - with his slogan "capitalism for all, not just a few". He has suggested a programme of accessible credit, tax breaks to boost the formal economy, and eliminating import barriers for products that Bolivia doesn't briefly acted as interim president from 2001-2002 after serving as Vice President to Hugo Banzer, a military dictator until he was later elected. The election of a president from outside the left camp will likely see sharp changes in the Latin American country's foreign terms of trade, both candidate's capitalist stances could indicate more support for foreign investment in Bolivia's vast lithium reserves - the key ingredient for batteries used in many electric cars, laptops and solar a change in government could mark closer ties with the US, after two decades of strengthening ties between Bolivia and China, Russia and Iran.A recent US Congress report briefing described US-Bolivia relations as "strained" under the socialist party's governance. The country's turn to the right comes as it is experiencing its worst economic crisis in years, with shortages of fuel, foreign reserves and some food items and high inflation and polls ahead of the election suggested that many voters wanted to vote for change, or to punish the incumbent Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) current president, Luis Arce, mired in deep unpopularity, decided not to seek punishment of the left is not just electoral, but physical in some candidate for MAS, Eduardo del Castillo, was booed out of the school where he cast his vote. Bolivian media reported that some fellow voters told him to "wait in line like they do for fuel" rather than skip the voting also threw stones at the highest-polling left-wing candidate, Andrónico Rodríguez, when he went to cast his ballot. Rodríguez was previously a member of MAS before splintering from the in Bolivia also said that an explosive device was set off at the polling station where Rodríguez cast his vote. There were no reports of significant damage or injuries. Rodríguez described it as an "isolated incident" orchestrated by a "small group" to a Bolivian left has not just faced recent unpopularity over the economy. It is also deeply divided. For the first time in about two decades, the former president, Evo Morales, was not on the ballot. Morales ruled the country from 2006-2019 and was barred from running again, despite attempts to challenge legal and constitutional rulings to let him run for a fourth has urged his supporters to null their was once seen as a protégé of Morales, but has since distanced himself from last election in 2019 was disputed and protests erupted. Morales was accused of fraud after auditors found irregularities with the poll and he resigned under pressure from the 2020, Luis Arce - a former finance minister under Morales - took office as president. Morales then announced he would return to politics in Bolivia, and deprived Arce of a majority - turning the pair from allies to rifts and power struggles have existed in the ruling MAS party ever since. Morales's supporters have held protests and roadblocks against the re-election ban imposed on him, which have at times turned deadly with some emergency responders being ordered an arrest warrant for Morales over an alleged sexual relationship and rape of a 15-year-old girl. He has called the accusations has been living and operating from Chapare in Bolivia, protected at times by his supporters.
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
Official Bolivia presidential count shows centrist Rodrigo Paz in surprise lead
LA PAZ, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Early official results in Bolivia showed the centrist Rodrigo Paz of the Christian Democratic Party leading Sunday's presidential race, with a surprise 32.04% of the vote according to the country's electoral tribunal. Conservative former president Jorge "Tuto" Quiroga of the Alianza Libre coalition was in second place, with a likely second round needed. Bolivia's ruling Movement for Socialism or MAS party was on track to suffer its worst electoral defeat in a generation on Sunday, with its candidate and other leftist challengers trailing the center-right opposition. If no presidential candidate wins more than 40% support with a 10 percentage point lead, the election will head to a runoff on October 19. Samuel Doria Medina, a business magnate who represented the center-right Alianza Unidad coalition and was polling third, said he would throw his support behind Paz in a runoff. Sunday's general election has been overshadowed by inflation at a four-decade high and the absence of former leftist president Evo Morales, who was barred from running and criticized the vote. Voter turnout on Sunday was steady, authorities said. Despite earlier concerns that the electoral process in Bolivia could be obstructed by supporters of Morales, who had called on the public to boycott the race, international observers said the vote took place without major disruptions. Earlier on Sunday, several minor incidents took place at polling stations in the central region of Cochabamba, Morales' political stronghold. With a crowded field and no dominant MAS party candidate, the election marks a "crossroads moment" for Bolivia, said Southern Andes analyst Glaeldys Gonzalez Calanche of the International Crisis Group. Bolivia's fragile economy has been top-of-mind for voters. Price rises have surged past other Latin American countries this year, and fuel and dollars have run scarce. Annual inflation doubled to 23% in June, up from 12% in January, with some Bolivians turning to cryptocurrencies as a hedge. Many Bolivians, especially those who work in the informal economy, were now struggling to make ends meet, said economist Roger Lopez. "Prices of the basic food basket are going up fast," said Lopez. "Suddenly the math doesn't add up anymore." Early election results indicated they chose to punish MAS on Sunday, creating a window of opportunity for centrists and the right. "Every year the situation has got worse under this government," said Silvia Morales, 30, from La Paz, who works in retail. A former MAS voter, she said this time she would cast her vote for the center-right. Carlos Blanco Casas, 60, a teacher in La Paz, said he intended to vote for change. "This election feels hopeful. We need a change of direction," he said. Quiroga has promised "radical change" to reverse what he calls "20 lost years" under MAS rule. He supports deep public spending cuts and a shift away from alliances with Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. Quiroga was president for a year in 2001-2002 after the then-leader resigned. Paz meanwhile plans to decentralize government by introducing a "50-50 economic model" in which the central government would manage only half of public funds. The remainder would be designated to regional governments. Silvia Morales, 30, a former MAS voter from La Paz, said she had cast her ballot for Paz on Sunday. "He's a new face with experience," she said, "I think we should make space for new opportunities." On the left, the vote is split between the official MAS party candidate Eduardo del Castillo, who is backed by outgoing President Luis Arce, and Senate President Andronico Rodriguez, who has distanced himself from the party and is running on his own ticket. Morales, 69, had called for a boycott of the election, but analysts said his influence is waning. "There is widespread support for these elections," said Calanche. "Most Bolivians see them as key to leading the country towards economic recovery." Full official results are due within seven days. Voters also elected all 26 senators and 130 deputies, and officials assume office on November 8.
