Details of father's arrest by ICE agents at Ventura County gas station revealed
The Brief
Advocacy group 805 UndocuFund claims ICE agents detained a man at an Oxnard gas station, leaving his two children behind.
It reportedly occurred on May 4, with a gas station attendant witnessing the arrest and sharing his account with the advocacy group.
The incident has sparked concern among immigrant rights advocates, who are calling for accountability and transparency from federal authorities.
LOS ANGELES - The Department of Homeland Security is releasing more details of a father's arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Ventura County and is refuting claims that two children were left behind after the arrest.
What we know
The incident happened on May 4 around 9:30 a.m. at the Sinclair gas station located at the intersection of Ventura Road and Wooley Boulevard in Oxnard, as reported by 805 UndocuFund, a coalition of nonprofit organizations supporting immigrants in California's Central Coast.
A gas station attendant, Juan Conches, shared what he witnessed with the group in a video posted to their Instagram page.
According to Conches, a man arrived at the gas station for fuel, and while he was pumping gas, "at least six" vehicles showed up and quickly surrounded him.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Father detained by ICE agents at Ventura County gas station
"They arrested someone," Conches said. "They left the children inside the truck."
The coalition identified the children as a minor and an older sibling.
"They told me they took him. I then asked if I could move the truck to free up the pump. That's it. I moved the truck with the kids inside and parked it in the front. They let me know they called their sister to pick them up," Conches said in the video.
The other side
DHS shared a screenshot of the report in Newsweek, and took to social media to refute the claims.
"This is FALSE," the agency wrote on X. "ICE agents arrested criminal illegal alien Albino Teodores Mandujano. His 19-year-old son took possession of his vehicle. ICE officers even offered to move the vehicle to a better location."
SUGGESTED: Homeland Security investigating California's Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants
DHS said agents also allowed Mandujano a phone call to make sure his truck and son "arrived safely back at his home."
According to DHS, Mandujano's criminal history includes a conviction for fighting in a public place and driving under the influence.
"This individual entered our country illegal at least THREE times," DHS wrote.
The agency went on to encourage parents in the country illegally to use the CBP Home app, which allows people to self-deport, with the potential to return via legal means.
Local perspective
ICE agents began targeting major sanctuary cities immediately after President Donald Trump's inauguration, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta.
Since then, international students, alleged gang members, even American citizens in some cases, and visa holders have been stopped at airports, detained for days, or face deportation for minor infractions.
SUGGESTED: Trump administration offers to pay migrants $1,000 to leave US
Several such cases have occurred across Southern California.
Last month, Andry Hernandez Romero, a gay Venezuelan makeup artist, was deported to El Salvador and is detained in a dangerous prison, raising concerns about human rights violations. Activists say the deportation is a severe violation of human rights, calling it a "death sentence" due to the prison's harsh conditions and lack of protections for LGBTQ+ individuals.
A week before that, a raid was conducted outside a Home Depot in Pomona. Between 15 and 20 day laborers were detained. U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston emphasized that such actions violate the Fourth Amendment, which protects immigrant workers, including day laborers and farmworkers.
SUGGESTED: Traffic charges dropped against Georgia college student now facing deportation
In another case, an Orange County couple with no criminal history who had lived in the U.S. for 35 years were deported to Colombia in March.
The backstory
During his first week in office, Trump signed 10 executive orders on immigration and issued a slew of edicts to carry out promises of mass deportations and border security.
Trump expanded arrest priorities to anyone in the country illegally, not just people with criminal convictions, public safety or national security threats and migrants stopped at the border.
SUGGESTED: Advocates demand release of detained Pomona day laborer Jesus Domingo Ros
The administration also ended a policy to avoid arrests at "sensitive locations," including schools, hospitals and places of worship. It said it may deport people who entered the country legally on parole, a presidential authority that former President Joe Biden used more than any president.
It also threatened to punish "sanctuary" jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The Source
Information for this story is from the social media of the Department of Homeland Security and previous FOX 11 reports.
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