LA ICE raids: Food vendor detained is being 'treated like an animal,' family says

LOS ANGELES - For more than two decades, Emma De Paz has been selling food like chicken and carnitas outside the Home Depot in Hollywood where she was ultimately arrested along with dozens of other laborers and vendors by immigration agents on June 19. 

In a statement that afternoon, Homeland Security Assistant Tricia McLaughlin said Customs and Border Protection agents "arrested 30 illegal aliens in Hollywood, California, and 9 illegal aliens in San Fernando and Pacoima." 

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She added that during the day's operations, someone rammed their vehicle into a law enforcement vehicle.

"CBP Agents were also assaulted during the operation and verbally harassed," McLaughlin said.

De Paz, a native of Guatemala, has been in the U.S. for 24 years, according to her brother, Carlos Barrera de Paz. 

Nearly a week after his sister was detained, Carlos and other family members including Emma's son gathered together and held a press conference outside the Guatemalan Consulate, pleading lawmakers for more information on her case.

"She never went back to Guatemala, and you know, it's something [that] really hurt our life, because we wish we can go, but no, we couldn't," Carlos said. 

He told FOX 11's Gigi Graciette his sister should at least be given a hearing, as she's never had any problems with the law. 

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"I'm trying to tell the council over here to call the immigration service because they treated him like an animal. I believe everybody, not only my sister, everybody had the right to have a hearing with the judge, get in front of the judge and tell him, ‘hey, this is who I am.’ And then if the judge is going to deport you, that's fine. But I think that is a process that we can follow and treat you like a human," he said.

Carlos said Emma has been working outside that Home Depot for years, telling FOX 11 she's active in immigration groups and in the city, even working on organizing food vendors and helping people get their permits in place.

"My sister has been treated like animal over there. She cannot sleep, she can not shower since she got there and she doesn't have any food. She got a little water and one cup prison juice and that's it. And that's, it's really bad. Not only that, but she's sick. And I'm afraid something bad is gonna happen to her."

He told FOX 11 Emma was just diagnosed with Hepatitis B just a short while ago. She allegedly was recently taken to White Memorial, under guard, due to those health issues.

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Carlos called the conditions of those being detained "inhumane." 

"She said they [are] pushing her to sign the deportation [papers] and we don't want that. We want her to get out and then if the judge is going to deport her, that is fine, but I think there is a process to follow and not treat her like the way they are now," he said. 

What they're saying:

Guatemalan Consul General José Arturo Rodriguez Diaz told FOX 11 they have identified 74 Guatemalan nationals that have been detained by ICE agents in the recent raids, but they believe that number is probably double or triple that since many individuals have not yet been processed. 

The Consul and Emma's family confirmed she has not yet been processed and assigned an identification number (similar to a booking number), which would mean she exists in the system.

That means if the government of Guatemala calls ICE, they will say she is not in their system because "she does not exist."

Diaz added that a huge challenge Consulates across the U.S. face is the fact that many detainees are often moved to other states, making it impossible for lawyers or family members to find them.

Additionally, according to the consulate, many detainees are being pressured tos gin an agreement to be deported without knowing their rights. 

They are also very concerned about detainees being deported to countries that are not their country of origin. 

Families looking to report their loved ones being detained can call a 24-hour hotline set up by the Consulate. That number is 213-900-1098 extension 2.

What we know:

On June 19, multiple ICE raids were reported across LA County in places such as Home Depot, Lowe's, and Dodger Stadium.

This comes as federal agents continue to ramp up an immigration crackdown after receiving directives from President Donald Trump to set up their efforts in Democratic-run cities.

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Those raids were preceded by Trump deploying thousands of additional National Guard troops to the area in response to massive anti-ICE protests across the region.

Gov. Gavin Newsom sued Trump over the move, and a lower court originally sided with Newsom, saying Trump's move was likely unconstitutional. 

The recent anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles and Orange counties erupted following widespread anger over the agency's enforcement tactics that began on Friday, June 6. 

In addition to downtown LA, Santa Ana also became a hot spot for demonstrators where some protesters have clashed with law enforcement.

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One of the latest raids occurred in Pasadena Wednesday afternoon after agents detained six people at a bus stop. 

Community leaders reported incidents of ICE appearing at elementary school graduations, disrupting the legitimate immigration processes at various courthouses, and aggressively raiding workplaces and locations like Home Depot. These actions, perceived as arbitrary and invasive, sparked outrage among residents and galvanized the public into widespread demonstrations across Los Angeles County.

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