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News18
3 hours ago
- News18
Illegal Immigrant In California Detained For Faking Abduction By ICE Agents
Last Updated: Her case came to light after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed the fabricated accusations. The US has long struggled with the presence of illegal immigrants. The issue worsens when those on American soil attempt to stir chaos. A similar incident recently occurred in South Los Angeles, where a 41-year-old woman was charged with allegedly making false kidnapping claims against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. The case came to light after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed the fabricated accusations made by Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon against federal agents. Furthermore, her family held a press conference to spread the allegations widely, later requesting donations to cover legal expenses. According to the DOJ, Calderon's family and attorneys from Movement Legal claimed during a June 30 press conference that the undocumented woman was abducted by 'masked men" at a Jack in the Box restaurant parking lot in California. They alleged she was taken to the San Ysidro border, where she was presented before ICE officers. The agents allegedly tried to force her to sign voluntary self-deportation papers, which Calderon refused. However, according to the claims, she was then taken and held in an isolated location. Exposing the fake kidnapping story fabricated by Calderon and her family, US Attorney Bill Essayli stated, 'Dangerous rhetoric that ICE agents are 'kidnapping' illegal immigrants is being recklessly peddled by politicians and echoed in the media to inflame the public and discredit our courageous federal agents." The DOJ has now arrested Calderon, who could face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. The agency also indicated that additional charges may follow if further involvement is uncovered. The claims made by Calderon and her family were debunked by the DOJ after reviewing CCTV footage, which showed her willingly getting into a sedan. Moreover, her phone records indicated she had orchestrated the controversy. In fact, her daughter even created a GoFundMe page to seek financial support. Days before the hoax was exposed, the family held another press conference on July 6, urging donors to increase support for their GoFundMe campaign. They also allegedly fabricated photos of her 'rescue" to make it appear as if she had been abused by ICE agents, officials said. According to KTLA, a spokesperson from the fundraising platform confirmed that the page created by Calderon's family has been removed. The campaign raised $80, which will now be refunded to donors. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments First Published: July 18, 2025, 18:26 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Staged kidnapping: 41-year-old immigrant arrested for plotting scheme to raise money; fabricated ICE abuse claims
Representative Image (AI-generated) A 41-year-old undocumented immigrant has been arrested for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping in order to raise money and falsely accuse federal law enforcement. The US department of justice announced on Thursday that Yuriana Julia 'Juli' Pelaez Calderon faces charges of conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers. According to the department of justice, Calderon collaborated with others to stage a dramatic, fake abduction at gunpoint. The scheme involved armed men, described as bounty hunters, who took her from a fast-food restaurant parking lot in Los Angeles and attempted to force her to self-deport, all as part of a plan to deceive the public and discredit federal law enforcement. Federal officials said the scheme was designed not only to raise money but also to spread misinformation and undermine the credibility of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as reported by the New York Post. 'Dangerous rhetoric that ICE agents are 'kidnapping' illegal immigrants is being recklessly peddled by politicians and echoed in the media to inflame the public and discredit our courageous federal agents,' said US Attorney Bill Essayli. 'The conduct alleged in today's complaint shows this hoax kidnapping was a well-orchestrated conspiracy.' The staged event began with a press conference held by Calderon's family and attorneys on June 30. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Ultimate Options Selling Strategy - Master the markets TradeWise Learn More Undo They claimed that masked men in two trucks abducted Calderon from a Jack in the Box parking lot in Los Angeles and took her to San Ysidro, where she was allegedly pressured to sign deportation papers. Her family also claimed she was held in a warehouse after refusing to cooperate. Following widespread media coverage, Calderon's daughter created a GoFundMe page requesting $4,500 to support her mother. 'My name is Angeline Gonzalez, and my mother, Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, was taken by masked men in an unmarked vehicle on June 25th,' the page now deleted read. In response, the Department of Homeland Security denied any involvement and launched an investigation. Agents searched for Calderon for several days, including checking detention facilities across the region. She was eventually found in a shopping plaza parking lot in Bakersfield on July 5. Despite continuing to claim she was kidnapped, video surveillance showed Calderon voluntarily getting into a car after leaving the restaurant. Phone records also supported the conclusion that the event was fabricated. Officials said that Calderon's family had planned a second press conference on July 6 for the GoFundMe page to increase public donations before the hoax was foiled. They even created fake images suggesting Calderon was abused during her supposed rescue. 'Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon was never arrested or kidnapped by ICE or bounty hunters—this criminal illegal alien scammed innocent Americans for money and diverted limited DHS resources from removing the worst of the worst from Los Angeles communities,' the DHS said. DHS also criticised media outlets and public figures who had repeated the false claims without proper verification. 'Calderon will now face justice and the media and politicians who swallowed and pushed this garbage should be embarrassed,' the agency said. GoFundMe confirmed that it removed the fundraising page and has refunded the $80 that had been donated. It further clarified that the organisation never had access to the funds. 'We have zero tolerance for any attempt to exploit our platform,' a spokesperson said. If convicted, Calderon faces up to five years in federal prison for each charge. The DOJ also indicated that others involved in the hoax may face legal consequences.
News18
8 hours ago
- News18
Rise of masked officers controversial new ground in American life
Last Updated: New York, Jul 18 (AP) In a matter of months, it has become a regular sight around the country — immigration enforcement agents detaining people and taking them into custody, often as public anger and outcry unfold around them. But in the process, something has disappeared: the agents' faces, covered by caps, sunglasses, pulled-up neck gaiters or balaclavas, effectively rendering them unidentifiable. With the year only half over, the covered face — as deployed by law enforcement in a wave of immigration crackdowns directed by President Donald Trump's White House — has become one of the most potent and contentious visuals of 2025. The increase in high-profile immigration enforcement was already contentious between those opposed to the actions of Trump's administration and those in support of them. The sight of masked agents carrying it out is creating a whole new level of conflict, in a way that has no real comparison in the US history of policing. Trump administration officials have consistently defended the practice, saying that immigration agents have faced strident and increasing harassment in public and online as they have gone about their enforcement in service of Trump's drive toward mass deportation, and hiding their identities is for their and their families' safety to avoid things like death threats and doxing, where someone's personal information is released without their permission on the internet. 'I'm sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks, but I'm not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line, their family on the line because people don't like what immigration enforcement is," Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Todd Lyons said last month. There's pushback, as expected Democrats and others, including the several state attorneys general, have pushed back, saying the use of face masks generates public fear and should be halted. In a letter to Lyons last week, a group of Democratic senators said the stepped-up immigration enforcement in workplaces, restaurants and other sites was already causing dismay and the increasingly common sight of masked agents 'represents a clear attempt to compound that fear and chaos – and to avoid accountability for agents' actions". In American culture, covering one's face has often gone hand in hand with assumptions of negative behaviour. Think bandits donning bandanas in cowboy movies, or robbers putting on ski masks before pulling a heist on a bank. Even comic-book superheroes who cover their faces have been swept up in storylines in recent years that derisively refer to them as 'masks" and say their decision to hide their identities while enforcing justice is transgressive. And the presence of masked police or paramilitary forces in other countries has been seen by Americans as antithetical to promised democracy and justice for all — and to the common-law principle of being able to face your accusers. Mask-wearing overall in American life took another hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many Trump supporters scoffed at notions that protective masks would insulate people from the deadly virus and scorned people who wore them. More recently, Trump has come out against masks, at least when they're being worn by protestors. He posted on social media last month that demonstrators wearing masks should be arrested. Given all that cultural context, it's even more problematic that those enforcing laws be the ones with their faces covered, said Tobias Winright, professor of moral theology at St Patrick's Pontifical University in Maynooth, Ireland. He has worked in law enforcement in the US and writes frequently about policing ethics. If 'what you're doing is above board and right," he said, 'then why conceal your identity?" Power gives different symbols different meanings For those who question why it's different for law enforcement to wear masks if protestors and non-law enforcement personnel are doing it, it's because symbols have different meanings based on the power and position of the people using them, said Alison Kinney, author of 'Hood," a book about that clothing item and the various ways people have used it. 'ICE agents are agents of the state. and they're invested with not only power but also with protections in carrying out their job," she said. 'But that job is also supposed to be public service. It's also supposed to be accountable and responsible to the public." 'And so they have a greater responsibility for transparency and accountability and making themselves known so that we can hold them accountable for the justice or injustice of their actions," she said. Concerns over how law enforcement is held accountable to the public have come up before. Advocates pushed for officers to wear body cameras and demanded that police officers have visible names and badge numbers. But there hasn't previously been much discussion around police masking because there isn't a history of it being done in any kind of official widespread way in the United States, outside of SWAT- or undercover-type operations, Winright said. The most high-profile example of mask-wearing in American history for the purpose of hiding identity is also its most negative one — racist attacks carried out by the members of the Ku Klux Klan. The masks served a purpose, of course, of keeping the wearers' identities secret, said Elaine Frantz, a history professor at Kent State University and author of 'Ku-Klux: The Birth of the Klan during Reconstruction." But they also made it easier for those wearing them to commit violent acts against others, she said. 'One thing about a mask is it kind of works like being behind a riot shield," Frantz said. 'When you have more of separation from the person you're attacking, it's easier to dehumanise that person." Winright said he hoped law enforcement mask-wearing wouldn't be normalized. There has been at least one expansion into local policing. In Nassau County, on Long Island just outside New York City, County Executive Bruce Blakeman last week signed an executive order allowing police officers to wear masks during certain types of work, including working with immigration agents. Winright is concerned, though, that the move could strain police-community relations even more, thus putting officers at even more risk. top videos View all 'Wearing a mask seems to increase fear and decrease trust, and policing from federal to local in America needs trust and transparency and community relations that are positive," he said. He added: 'The harms, the risks, are greater by wearing masks, not only to the individual officers, but to the profession itself, as well as to the United States society. It's just going to further exacerbate the us-versus-them polarisation, the lack of trust, and that's the probably the last thing we need right now." (AP) SCY SCY (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 18, 2025, 13:30 IST News agency-feeds Rise of masked officers controversial new ground in American life Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
