ICE detention controversy: LA teen claims agents boasted $1,500 reward; DHS denies ‘bounty hunter' claims

Time of India

2 days ago

File photo: Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz (Picture credit: X)
Community members and educators in Los Angeles are demanding the release of 18-year-old Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz, a Reseda high school student who was detained by immigration agents earlier this month under disputed circumstances.
Guerrero-Cruz, who lives in Van Nuys with his family, was arrested on August 8 while walking his dog. He later told his former English teacher, Lizette Becerra, that he overheard the masked men who seized him boast among themselves that they would receive $1,500 for his arrest and could 'have drinks that weekend,' according to the LA Times.
Becerra, who visited him at the Adelanto Detention Center, said the student described the men as unidentifiable at first, raising fears they may have been 'bounty hunters.'
The department of homeland security strongly rejected that claim. In a statement, it said, 'Claims that DHS uses private contractors or 'bounty hunters' to make arrests are false,' adding that its officers 'acted professionally throughout the encounter.'
The agency also stressed that Guerrero-Cruz is 'an illegal alien from Chile' who overstayed his visa by more than two years and is in violation of federal immigration law.
According to Newsweek, Guerrero-Cruz told Becerra that around 15 men in plain clothes with vests marked 'Immigration Police' surrounded him in three SUVs, grabbed him, and called him by a name he did not recognise. They allegedly told him they would fingerprint him to confirm his identity, though he says this never happened.
A neighbour later confirmed seeing one of the men drive away his dog, which was eventually returned.
Initially held in downtown Los Angeles, Guerrero-Cruz said he spent nearly a week in pajamas and slippers, without access to a shower or hygiene products, often sleeping next to a toilet in a crowded cell.
'He couldn't bathe. He couldn't brush his teeth. He was sleeping next to a toilet where he had to wake up every time someone went so that he wouldn't get urinated on,' Becerra was quoted as saying by Newsweek.
At Adelanto, he was eventually given clothes, shoes, and access to showers.
Homeland Security has insisted that detainees are provided with proper care, meals and medical treatment.
At a rally outside Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters on Tuesday, teachers and activists called for Guerrero-Cruz's immediate release. His supporters point out he was about to begin his senior year, was active in Navy ROTC, and played soccer. 'Tell them we come here to make a better life and we do good and we're treated like criminals.
I'm not a criminal. We're here to work and go to school. I want to finish high school,' Guerrero-Cruz told Becerra in a message for the public, reported the LA Times.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to assist his family, which includes his mother, a 6-year-old brother, and 5-month-old twin siblings. His teammates and classmates have also spoken out, describing him as 'reliable, respectful, and someone who lifted up the people around him.'
The case remains contentious, with Homeland Security insisting that Guerrero-Cruz 'never had to be arrested' and could have chosen voluntary departure, while educators and activists argue his treatment highlights systemic flaws in enforcement practices.