Key facts
- Erik Zepeda, 20, a US citizen with disabilities, was detained by ICE officers in Santa Maria, California, on October 21.
- Zepeda's wrist was broken and later required surgery, according to his attorneys citing hospital discharge records.
- An ICE spokesperson said officers were conducting a targeted enforcement operation and that their use of force was justified.
- The ICE spokesperson said claims that Zepeda suffered broken bones are false and that he never requested medical assistance.
- US Senator Adam Schiff said there must be accountability for what happened to Erik.
- Santa Maria police chief Christopher Williams said an investigation was ongoing and that he reported the incident to county and state authorities and DHS.
Erik Zepeda, a 20-year-old US citizen with disabilities, was walking to his high school in Santa Maria, California, on October 21 when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained him. His wrist was broken in the encounter and later required surgery. Zepeda told the Guardian in writing that the agents tackled and handcuffed him and that he thought they were going to kill him.
A volunteer observer who documents ICE activity witnessed the incident and told the Guardian that masked agents approached Zepeda from behind, pinned him face-down and put him in a car. The agents drove him around before letting him out, the observer said. With a black eye and wrist pain, Zepeda walked the remaining half mile to school, where staff called an ambulance. The observer asked not to be named due to fears of retaliation and provided dashcam and phone videos that the Guardian reviewed.
In response to questions from the Guardian, an ICE spokesperson said officers were conducting a targeted enforcement operation when they encountered Zepeda, who they believed matched the description of the criminal illegal alien target. The spokesperson said Zepeda resisted officers, refused lawful commands and assumed a fighting stance, and that officers relied on their training to safely control the situation until they confirmed his identity. The spokesperson said claims that Zepeda suffered broken bones are false and that he never requested medical assistance.
Cooney and Gaston, Zepeda's attorneys, said hospital discharge records confirmed he received surgery for his fractured wrist. They said ICE agents illegally assaulted Zepeda and then issued a false public statement to cover it up. The observer's testimony and videos call key aspects of ICE's version into question, according to the Guardian, which reported that in the 20 minutes before detaining Zepeda, officers had pulled over two separate dark-skinned drivers and let them go.
US Senator Adam Schiff said in a statement that ICE's assault and wrongful detainment of Zepeda was grotesque and heartbreaking and that there must be accountability. US Representative Salud Carbajal, whose district includes Santa Maria, said at a press conference that he was outraged and called the agents' conduct thuggish. In an October 29 letter to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE, Carbajal called for a full, transparent investigation.
Santa Maria police chief Christopher Williams told the Guardian that an investigation was ongoing and that he reported the incident to the county district attorney, the California department of justice and DHS. Santa Barbara county district attorney John Savrnoch called the incident deeply troubling and said his office was coordinating with authorities to gather information and determine next steps. Glenn Goldin, a retired special education teacher who formerly taught Zepeda and remains a mentor, said Zepeda is shaken and does not plan to return to school for at least several weeks.