An unprecedented incident was brought to light through a TikTok video, which shows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents carrying out a raid at an apartment complex in the Linda Vista neighborhood of San Diego.
San Diego Police Accused of Protecting ICE Agents During Raid
The operation reportedly took place on Wednesday, July 2, around 12:00 p.m., when the apartment buildings were surrounded by numerous police vehicles, both marked and unmarked.
According to the person who documented the scene, by the time they began filming, at least three people had already been arrested. The video shows ICE agents inside a security perimeter established and guarded by officers from the San Diego Police Department (SDPD).
When asked about their involvement in the raid, one SDPD officer stated that the department was not participating in immigration enforcement but was present to provide security for the federal agents on scene.
“Our only role here is scene security. We have not made any immigration arrests. California law does not permit us to do so,” the officer said. “However, California law does allow us to assist when there are safety concerns for officers, such as when they are surrounded. We can step in to ensure members of the public do not assault them or interfere with their investigation.”
In addition to the detention of migrants, it was reported that ICE agents also arrested two activists who were on-site, outside the police perimeter. The activists claim they were only using their voices to condemn the federal officers’ actions. Four hours after their arrest, despite both detainees being U.S. citizens, their families still had no information about them or their whereabouts. No further updates have been provided on the matter.
Local residents were shocked by ICE’s actions, with some even fearing to take out their phones and record the raid:
“My first instinct was to take out my phone and record something to prove ICE was here. But honestly, I didn’t feel entitled to record without risking detention, and saying that in the United States is sad and terrifying,” one neighbor told local outlet ABC10.
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