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The Santa Ana City Council on Tuesday honored the family of Edgar Vargas, who was wrongfully arrested, beaten and turned over to federal immigration authorities nearly a decade ago in a case that sparked a fight for immigrant rights in the city. It was decided to issue a formal apology.
Nearly 10 years after her son’s arrest, Vargas’ mother, Olivia Alzate, still feels the pain of the horrific event.
Surveillance footage of the June 2014 arrest that later surfaced shows Santa Ana Police Department officers responding to a robbery call using excessive force to arrest him.
“It appears the officers struck him repeatedly.” [Vargas]The then-27-year-old swung a baton at his legs as he lay face down on the ground,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
They would then turn him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Surveillance footage of Edgar Vargas’ brutal assault and arrest in June 2014. (OC. Weekly) Surveillance footage of Edgar Vargas’ brutal assault and arrest in June 2014. (OC. Weekly) Surveillance footage of Edgar’s brutal assault and arrest of Vargas in June 2014. (OC. Weekly) Edgar Vargas (left) is pictured with his family in this undated photo. (Viewer image) Edgar Vargas in this undated photo. (viewer image)
“Edgar Vargas was essentially brutalized by the Santa Ana Police Department,” Carlos Perea, executive director of the Harbor Immigration and Economic Justice Institute, told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. “He was then wrongfully transferred to ICE and charged with an innocent crime of attempting to harm a police officer.”
Years later, in 2019, a federal grand jury indicted former SAPD officer Brian Booker on charges of misconduct and falsely accusing him of using self-defense to cover up his brutal arrest.
“They beat him and arrested him for resisting arrest,” Santa Ana City Councilman Benjamin Vasquez said.
The city council has now formally apologized to Vargas’ family.
“I want people to understand that this type of culture is not accepted in Santa Ana,” Vazquez added. “We want to emphasize the past events that led to police surveillance, the events that led to sanctuary cities, and that we are a city of immigrants and that we are going to protect everyone.”
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Vargas’ mother told KTLA in Spanish that she was honored by the apology. Unfortunately, her son passed away two years ago.
Immigrant rights activists in Santa Ana acknowledge that Vargas’ case has turned the city into a sanctuary and prevented law enforcement from working directly with ICE.
“Edgar Vargas was, in many ways, the spark that started the fire,” Pera explained.
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