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Church Member Chased By ICE Agents, Deported Within A Day

Nov 17, 2025·Location: Downey, CA

Church Member Chased By ICE Agents, Deported Within A Day
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ICE agents, some without visible identification, carried out an enforcement action at a church, detaining individuals as children screamed and women cried, with witnesses saying agents chased workers into the woods. In a separate incident, armed, masked ICE agents chased a congregant, Carlos Chavez, into the parking lot of North Hills United Methodist Church while he worked at a taco stand there before detaining him. Chavez, who had no criminal record or outstanding warrant, said he was denied medical care for bronchitis and anxiety while in custody and signed a self-deportation order out of fear, leading to his deportation to Tijuana within a day of his arrest. His wife and children have not seen him in person since.

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