Federal immigration agents seeking to detain a Honduran landscaper chased him into a Southern California surgical center and quickly found themselves in a tense standoff as clinic staff demanded to see identification and a warrant.
In a video clip of the Tuesday altercation that has spread on social media, Ontario Advanced Surgery Center staff in blue scrubs are heard telling an armed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent wearing a mask and bulletproof vest to let go of the man, who is crying and gasping for breath.
“Get your hands off of him. You don’t even have a warrant,” says one staff member, shielding the man from an immigration agent. “Let him go. You need to get out.”
The news needs to stop giving these people in masks the benefit of the doubt.
They are wearing masks and bulletproof vests. Anyone with 500 dollars can get those things. Stop calling them “Agents” when they don’t show identification. Start calling them “Armed unidentified men” because thats all those surgical staff members saw. When you have your agency on your uniform and you show a badge and ID, then you’re an agent, otherwise you’re just a random man with a gun and people will treat you accordingly.