LOS ANGELES — A 37-year-old American citizen, Job Garcia, was tackled, handcuffed, and detained by federal agents after filming a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) raid outside a Home Depot in Los Angeles on June 19, 2025.
Garcia, a doctoral student at Claremont Graduate University and a photographer, said he was at the store to pick up a delivery when he noticed immigration agents swarming the parking lot. Someone inside shouted “La migra!”—a slang term for immigration enforcement—and Garcia followed the commotion outside with his phone camera.
As he recorded the scene, which included agents smashing the window of a box truck, Garcia can be heard confronting the officers, calling them “f—ing useless.” Moments later, an agent reportedly pushed Garcia, twisted his arm, threw his phone, and tackled him to the ground while three others joined in.
“They never asked for ID or if I was a citizen,” Garcia said. “They assumed I was undocumented.”
The video captured Garcia struggling as agents cuffed him tightly and pinned him to the asphalt. In the footage, he is heard gasping, yelling in pain, and demanding to know what he was being arrested for. At no point did agents inform him of any charges.
Held near Dodger Stadium for over an hour, Garcia said he overheard agents congratulating each other, one allegedly asking, “How many bodies did you guys grab today?” to which another replied, “31.” The exchange ended in a high-five, he said.
Garcia was later transferred to a downtown federal detention center and released at 8:30 a.m. the following morning—without charges.
No explanation has been given by DHS or U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and officials have yet to respond to media inquiries. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office redirected questions to DHS.
Garcia, still shaken, emphasized that no one asked for proof of his citizenship during the arrest. “I speak English. I’m an American. But that didn’t matter.”