A California mother walking with her children was detained by plainclothes ICE agents in an incident that witnesses say involved no visible warrant, sparked fears of a kidnapping, and left her children sobbing and physically trying to block the arrest.
The woman, Rosalina Luna Vargas, was apprehended around 8 a.m. on Saturday, in Pasadena, California, near the intersection of Catalina Avenue and Del Mar Boulevard, KTLA reported.
Vargas, who is a mother of two and the primary provider for her family, was walking with her children when ICE agents in an unmarked vehicle stopped and attempted to detain her. Local resident Jillian Reed happened upon the scene and began filming after hearing the children scream for help and plead for the agents to show a warrant.
Reed's footage shows two masked men wearing badges and a third unmarked individual trying to force Vargas into a car as her children cried and asked them to stop. Reed called 911, believing she was witnessing a possible kidnapping.
Vargas briefly escaped and ran into the courtyard of a nearby assisted living facility, where her children formed what Reed described as a "human wall" to protect their mother. Staff at the facility reportedly told the agents they were trespassing and demanded a warrant, at which point the officers left—only to return later and take Vargas into custody.
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According to a family member, the agents had a warrant, but not for Vargas. They claimed the family was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. ICE has yet to publicly clarify the reason for the arrest, confirm the identity of the agents, or respond to allegations that no warrant was presented.
The Pasadena Police Department took statements from witnesses but has not issued its own findings.
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