US citizen carpenter arrested by ICE during protest receives judicial criticism
Jun 11, 2025 · Los Angeles, CA

Christian Cerna, a 28-year-old US citizen and carpenter, was arrested by ICE on June 11, 2025, after participating in an anti-ICE protest days earlier. Officers used aggressive tactics including ramming his vehicle, detonating flash-bang grenades, and pointing assault rifles at his car while his two young children were inside. Cerna was charged with felony assault for an alleged altercation with a border patrol agent, though he and his lawyers contested the circumstances. In December 2025, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault and was sentenced in March 2026; a federal judge later criticized the case as a "vindictive effort" to impose extrajudicial punishment, and the ICE filming and social media posting of arrest footage became a subject of controversy.
Sources
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