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Armed federal agents in masks drive off with 1-year-old after detaining her father
A video showing a kid in a car's backseat as federal agents detain the toddler's father has sparked outrage.
A few federal agents are receiving backlash after a they were spotted detaining a man and then driving off with a toddler in the backseat. The incident occurred outside a Home Depot store.
The footage was reportedly captured by a member of the Los Angeles Rapid Response Network, and it later went viral on social media. The clip shows the man with his hands behind his back, and then he is escorted away by two agents wearing masks. When they drive away, the man’s toddler appears to be strapped in the car seat in the back. A few people, off-camera, are heard screaming, “There's a baby in the back!”
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“It was a dangerous act to have armed men get in a car with that child and remove her from the situation,” Lindsay Toczylowski, co-founder of Immigrant Defenders Law Center, told Associated Press (AP). The firm specialised in handling immigration cases.
What happened to the kid?
Toczylowski told AP that the girl’s relatives later picked her up from the authorities at the federal offices in Los Angeles. However, she added, “They should have followed protocols that had the best interest of that child in mind.”
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Social media is furious:
The video quickly went viral, prompting varied responses. An individual wrote, “I hope these people are charged for their crimes one day and remember that ‘just following orders’ is never an adequate defence.” Another added, “This is beyond reckless, detaining a father while endangering his toddler is child abuse and a blatant abuse of power. This is exactly why oversight and justice are critical.”
A third remarked, “That’s insanity.” A fourth commented, “Shameful behaviour.”
Homeland security responds:
The federal agency responded after the video of the arrest went viral. “During a targeted immigration enforcement operation, a US citizen exited his vehicle WIELDING A HAMMER and THREW ROCKS at law enforcement while he had a child in his car.”
The agency added, “The operation resulted in the arrest of 5 illegal aliens from Mexico and Guatemala who were all breaking our nation’s immigration laws. Their criminal histories include DUI, driving without a license, and previously removal, which is a felony.”
