A High School Senior in LA Was Picked Up by Immigration Agents — Now His Future Is Uncertain
Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz was detained by federal immigration authorities in Van Nuys while walking his dog. The 18-year-old was set to start his senior year at Reseda Charter High School but is now in a detention center. The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with legal and other expenses in connection to his sudden detention.
Federal immigration agents detained a high school senior sparking outrage
Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz was walking his dog when he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. According to reports, Guerrero-Cruz was walking his dog at the time of the arrest. The family claims, according to a GoFundMe page, that ICE agents tied the dog to a tree before unclipping its collar to run free by a busy street.
The agents also made light of the arrest of the young man. The GoFundMe page claims that the agents laughed as they detained Guerrero-Cruz and celebrated.
“They treated him like a criminal, telling as they joked while arresting him that ‘thanks to him, they get to drink this weekend,’ laughing about the $2,500 they just secured,” according to the GoFundMe page.
Guerrero-Cruz is a pillar in his family, helping to raise his 5-month-old twin brothers and his 6-year-old brother. The young man’s detention has strengthened the already palpable fear gripping Los Angeles as masked people claiming to be federal immigration agents keep detaining people. Guerrero-Cruz’s mother is fearful of leaving her house, according to social media posts and the GoFundMe account.
Community leaders are bringing attention to the student’s arrest
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho spoke with Guerrero-Cruz’s mother. In a press conference, he addressed the media about the conditions Guerrero-Cruz is living. According to his conversation with the high school senior’s mother, the conditions are horrendous.
“He is 18 years old, but he’s a kid. He has not been exposed to anything in his life,” Carvalho said, according to the Los Angeles Times. Carvalho continued: “He drinks water once a day. The food is insufficient. Mom said that there was not enough room for everybody to sit or lie down at the same time.”
The description of Guerrero-Cruz’s living conditions in immigration custody is in line with reports of other detention centers. Often, those imprisoned are not given proper food, medical care, or satisfactory living conditions.
According to NPR, recorded calls from detention centers paint a grim reality for those caught up in the Trump administration’s inhumane mass deportation push. One woman being held in Miami claimed that she had a fever and an eye infection for two weeks. She was routinely denied necessary medical care. This woman’s example echoes the claims of other detainees and their attorneys.
