San Bernardino protesters denounce immigration operation after shots were fired at family's car
A group of protesters gathered in San Bernardino on Monday to denounce the federal immigration enforcement operation that included shots being fired at a family's vehicle over the weekend.
It happened at around 8:40 a.m. on Saturday, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents pulled a car over during what they called a "targeted immigration enforcement operation." They say that the man behind the wheel, an undocumented immigrant, drove his vehicle at the agents and struck two of them before driving away from the area.
In response, at least one of the agents opened fire on the car, which had three passengers. No one was struck by gunfire. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security says that the CBP officer was forced to discharge his firearm in self-defense.
Video from the backseat of the vehicle, taken by the driver's son-in-law, Martin, shows the masked agents shattering the driver's side and passenger side windows moments before the car speeds off.
He claims that the video is proof that the agents were never in harm's way and that his father-in-law fled because he feared for his life. He says that the agents refused to identify themselves, present a warrant or explain why they had pulled them over at any point during the interaction.
"I was thinking the bullets were gonna run through the back window and hit any one of us," Martin said on Saturday while speaking with CBS News Los Angeles.
A short time later, agents arrived outside of the family's home, where they waited for several hours before leaving without making any arrests, the family told CBS News Los Angeles. They said that they refused to allow the agents in, as they were never presented with a warrant or reason for their presence. They have not provided the man's identity out of concern for their safety.
Demonstrators said that Saturday's series of events was another in an unnecessary escalation of violence during immigration operations in Southern California.
"We know what it looks like when someone is coming in and using violence against our communities under the blanket of keeping the community safe," said Mary Valdemar, one of the protesters.
"I think that speaks volumes on the integrity of this federal department," said Luv Kaur, another demonstrator.
The protesters were gathered outside of the San Bernardino Police Department, denouncing what they believed was police collaboration with the federal agents after officers were called to the family's home for assistance with a growing crowd.
Police said that, though they're unable to assist with immigration operations under the California Values Act, there was a risk to the safety of the public as a crowd of people began to form outside of the home.
"In this case, federal agents requested assistance during a lawful arrest for assaulting a federal officer when a crowd created a potential officer safety concern," police said on Saturday. "This was not an immigration-related arrest, which would be prohibited under California law."
The DHS statement says that San Bernardino police briefly took the driver into custody on Saturday but released him shortly afterwards.
"This decision was made despite the subject refusing to comply and wounding two officers — another terrible example of California's pro-sanctuary policies in action that shield criminals instead of protecting communities," DHS said in its statement.
San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran took to social media on Monday to address the weekend's events. She called the account of what happened by DHS "unverified and deeply troubling."
"Here in San Bernardino, we stand firm. Justice must be transparent; trust must be earned—not forced. We call for a full and impartial investigation, the release of all available footage and accountability if procedures were violated," said a social media post from Tran. "We deserve answers, protection and peace of mind."
