Teachers and community members rallied outside LAUSD headquarters on Tuesday, demanding action after a student was detained by ICE earlier this month.
On Aug. 8th, 18-year-old Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz was walking his dog in his Van Nuys neighborhood when masked men grabbed him and then handed him off to federal agents. He relayed what happened to his former teacher, Liz Becerra, who shared his story at the rally.
“He said that without any warning, men came up to him and grabbed him by the arm, started asking for this other person,” she said. “They said, ‘Are you this person?’ He said, ‘No, I'm not. My name is Ben.’ They're like,’ What's your name?’ He said, ‘My name is Benjamin.’ These people were masked in plain clothes. He said there was about three SUVs and did not identify themselves. They said immigration police. They never said his actual name. They said that he had to go with them to take fingerprints to investigate the supposed person that they were looking for. They never identified themselves. They never had any warrant with his name on it or anything like that.”
Neighbor Valerie T.told the crowd she was also walking her dog when she saw the three unmarked SUVs and men in tactical vests labeled “immigration police.” She also said she saw Benjamin inside one of the vehicles.
“Later, they let his dog that he was walking loose in the middle of the street like it didn't matter, but Benjamin does matter,” she said. “His life matters. His rights matter.”
Benjamin was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center and then a processing center in Adelanto. Becerra visited him at the detention center and said seeing him behind bars instead of in class was heartbreaking.
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“He told me that he was in a cell, tiny with 25 people or more,” she said. “The only place that he had to sleep was next to the toilet. He had to wake up every time that someone went to the bathroom so that he wouldn't be urinated on. During that week, he couldn't shower. He couldn't brush his teeth. He was in his pajamas, in slippers and shorts. You imagine how cold it is in there. After a week, he arrived in Adelanto around Friday. Finally, Saturday morning, he was able to shower. They weighed him when he was first taken, and then he went to Adelanto he dropped 20 pounds.”
Valerie said the community stepped up to help Benjamin and his family.
“We helped connect the family to legal support, and now Benjamin has representation from the Immigration Defenders Law Center,” she said.
In a statement to KNX News 97.1 FM, the Department of Homeland Security defends its actions, saying Benjamin overstayed his visa and was lawfully arrested by U.S. Border Patrol. Officials also denied the use of bounty hunters and insist ICE facilities meet higher standards than most U.S. prisons, adding that detainees receive proper meals, clean water, and 24-hour emergency care.
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