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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said a mother and son living in the United States illegally both have criminal histories amid backlash over their arrests in California last month.
The family of Yolanda Perez and her son, Jonathan Tejeda-Perez, said the pair were arrested near their home in the Los Angeles suburb of El Monte on Feb. 24. The family said that ICE agents claimed to have had a warrant but never showed them one, Fox Los Angeles reported.
Yolana Perez’s daughter, Xitali Tejeda, told the news outlet that her mother was ambushed while moving her car for a city street-sweeping vehicle when her brother tried to intervene. Yolanda Pedrez was seen on video crying as ICE agents detained her, saying, “They’re going to take me.”
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ICE is conducting flights to remove illegal immigrants from the U.S. and back to their home countries. (ICE Seattle)
The family said the mother has no criminal record and is the primary caretaker for her daughter, 21, who is unable to walk and is battling cancer.
The community has rallied around the family. U.S. Rep. Gil Cisneros, D-Calif., who represents El Monte, criticized the arrest earlier this week.
“These arrests are sickening, and I have grave concerns with how these arrests were reported to have been carried out by ICE,” Cisneros said in a statement. “The 31st District is home to many immigrant families who came to our country wanting to contribute to our communities and local economy.”
“This El Monte family was simply trying to care for the youngest daughter and work to provide her with the healthcare treatments she needs. Stoking fear, targeting our community members, and ripping apart families is not an acceptable solution for our broken immigration system,” he added. “We need humane comprehensive immigration reform that addresses bad actors, but still upholds our American values and helps bring immigrants who have been living in our country out of the shadows. My office will continue to monitor this situation.”
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In a statement to Fox News Digital, Cisneros said Yolanda Perez was a “hard working woman just trying to provide for her daughter and her cancer treatments.”
“The overwhelming majority of immigrants like Yolanda have been living in the United States for years and make valuable contributions as farmers, frontline workers, and essential employees,” he added. “We need to give immigrants a fair chance and support legal immigration with a structure to apply for citizenship.”
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in a federal building in downtown Los Angeles. ICE is pushing back against criticism over the arrests of a mother and son illegally in the United States. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
An ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Yolanda Perez entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown time and date. She was arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in July 2005 for theft.
Jonathan Tejeda-Perez, who also entered the U.S. illegally at some point, has multiple arrests, ICE said. He was arrested by the sheriff’s department for possession of a controlled substance, possession of unlawful paraphernalia, driving without a license in 2014, possession of a controlled substance in 2015, possession of unlawful paraphernalia, and driving without a license in 2016, ICE said.
Tejeda-Perez was also arrested in 2017 by the Arcadia Police Department for possession of a controlled substance, the Los Angeles Police Department for property theft, and the United States Postal Inspection Service in Los Angeles for theft or receipt of stolen mail.
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department vehicle. An off-duty LASD deputy was shot and killed by police in Fontana, California on Tuesday. (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)
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In that case, he was convicted for theft or receipt of stolen mail.
Both mother and son are being detained pending immigration proceedings. The ICE operation was in line with the Trump administration’s edict that criminal illegal immigrants be arrested and deported.
Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].