U.S. Citizen Arrested After Filming Border Patrol Raid at Hollywood Home Depot

On Thursday, June 19, a Border Patrol raid at a Home Depot parking lot in Hollywood, California, led to multiple arrests and a confrontation captured on video by a U.S. citizen. Job Garcia, 37, a photographer and doctoral student, was at the Home Depot when he observed the agents. He began filming, and his footage shows agents making arrests and, in one instance, smashing the window of a box truck to access its occupant. Garcia then verbally confronted the agents, expressing his disapproval of their actions. According to Garcia, an agent lunged at him, twisted his arm, and threw his phone before bringing him to the ground. He was handcuffed so tightly that he lost circulation in his fingers and stated he feared for his life. During his detention, Garcia reported hearing agents boast about the number of immigrants they had arrested, referring to them as "bodies." Garcia was held for over an hour near Dodger Stadium and was released the following day from a federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles. No criminal charges have been filed against him. This incident is part of a series of recent arrests of U.S. citizens during enforcement operations, with Department of Homeland Security officials stating some individuals have illegally interfered with agents' duties. DHS and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding Garcia's arrest.