While thousands marched in Downtown Los Angeles this past Saturday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) swarmed the Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet 20 miles away, detaining several people in attendance.
According to witnesses, at approximately 3:30 P.M. on Saturday, June 14, over 20 federal agents equipped with guns and tactical gear were seen entering the premises of the popular swap meet, where many gather on the weekends to enjoy food, live music, and drinks.
Video shared with L.A. TACO showed the moment where a woman and a man are seen being taken out of the premises in handcuffs.
When L.A. TACO arrived at the scene around 6 P.M., only a few people were still gathered outside. Management had already cleared the place of customers, and the entry gates were closed. A vendor’s son, who responded to the news of ICE appearing and recorded what unfolded, said he couldn’t believe they were there when he first heard.
“Some people ran in panic, others were standing around trying to make sense of what they were seeing,” he said in Spanish, his name withheld for safety. “They started to ask everyone, customers and vendors, for their identification.”
He said he was only able to get footage of the man and woman being detained near the entrance of the swap meet, but that when he went to the other side, another vendor told him she had witnessed two more people being taken by the federal agents.