A group of armed federal agents wearing face-covers and bullet-proof vests approaches you while you’re going about your business in L.A.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” one agent asks. “Where were you born?”
Stay calm. You might be the target of what’s called a “consensual encounter.”
That is what happened to customers at the Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet on June 14, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol reportedly arrested dozens during their shocking raid of the venue. It’s unclear how each arrest was carried out, but videos posted on social media indicate that agents had attempted to use consensual encounters to detain more people.