A Southern California man, a US citizen, has spoken after he said he was tackled and was taken into custody during an immigrant raid outside Home Depot in Hollywood.
On June 18, agents believed to be surrounded by U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) were blocking the exits.
At about 7:45am, witnesses said several unmarked SUVs had arrived and agents quickly moved to around 12 people gathered outside the store. The man said he saw the agent tackle the person on the ground without warning and shoved his face into the dirt before custodying him.
The raid swept each and every one was Job Garcia, a 37-year-old doctoral student at Claremont Graduate University. A US citizen, Garcia works as a delivery guy at Home Depot over the weekend to make extra money for the school.
That morning he arrived at the store and received a delivery order when an armed agent suddenly surrounded the parking lot. Realizing what was going on, he picked up his phone and began recording his activity.
“At the end of the car park, they began to gather around the van with gentlemen, perhaps in their 50s or 60s,” Garcia told KTLA’s Mary Beth McDade.
Job Garcia, 37, a US citizen and doctoral student at Claremont Graduate University, said he was illegally detained and tackled during a federal immigrant raid held in Hollywood on June 18, 2025. Ground where they were detained during an immigration raid outside Home Depot in Hollywood on June 18, 2025 (KTLA) A man being detained by federal agents outside the Home Depot in Hollywood on June 18, 2025. (KTLA) Federal agents used the baton to crush the windows of the man’s truck before detaining him during an immigration raid in Hollywood on June 18, 2025. (KTLA) Home Depostore in Hollywood, California. (KTLA)
In the video, the agent is heard telling the man to leave the truck before using the baton to crush the driver’s side window.
“They smashed his windows, when every bystander recording said, ‘You don’t have the right to do that!”,” Garcia said.
Garcia and several others began walking to the man in custody and informing him of his rights. The video shows one federal government getting upset and one federal agent moving forward can now hear screams from bystanders.
“That’s when he charges at me,” Garcia said. “I’m still recording so he pushed me and put my hands on me, I pushed his hands away and he didn’t like it.”
The agent grabbed Garcia’s left hand and worked him on the ground. Several agents quickly ran around, helping to force Garcia to pin him to the ground.
“Someone had his hand around my neck, and in the area of my head, two other agents were pushing his knees against my back,” he recalls.
Garcia said he was one of the 30 detainees taken to Dodger Stadium, and federal agents ultimately verified his American citizenship. He reportedly uses the stadium as a hub for detainees.
He was then taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA, where he was detained for 24 hours before being released.
Garcia said he is still recovering from several injuries that occurred during the ordeal and plans to file a lawsuit in relation to violent detention.
KTLA contacted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding details of Garcia’s detention and whether he was charged with a crime and is waiting for a response.
Source link
