An L.A. Man Detained in Immigration Raid Vanishes
Introduction to the Case
No one seems to know what happened to Vicente Ventura Aguilar. A witness told his brother and attorneys that the 44-year-old Mexican immigrant, who doesn’t have lawful immigration status, was taken into custody by immigration authorities on Oct. 7 in South Los Angeles and suffered a medical emergency. But it’s been more than six weeks since then, and Ventura Aguilar’s family still hasn’t heard from him.
The Immigration Raid and Arrest
The Department of Homeland Security said 73 people from Mexico were arrested in the Los Angeles area between Oct. 7 and 8. “None of them were Ventura Aguilar,” said Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant Homeland Security public affairs secretary. “For the record, illegal aliens in detention have access to phones to contact family members and attorneys,” she added. McLaughlin did not answer questions about what the agency did to determine whether Ventura Aguilar had ever been in its custody, such as checking for anyone with the same date of birth, variations of his name, or identifying detainees who received medical attention near the California border around Oct. 8.
The Search for Ventura Aguilar
Lindsay Toczylowski, co-founder of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center who is representing Ventura Aguilar’s family, said DHS never responded to her inquiries about him. The family of Vicente Ventura Aguilar, 44, says he has been missing since Oct. 7 when a friend saw him arrested by federal immigration agents in Los Angeles. Homeland Security officials say he was never in their custody. His family and lawyers checked with local hospitals and the Mexican consulate without success. They enlisted help from the office of Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles), whose staff called the Los Angeles and San Diego county medical examiner’s offices. Neither had someone matching his name or description.
The Family’s Concerns
Felipe Aguilar said his brother, who has lived in the U.S. for around 17 years, left home around 8:15 a.m. on Oct. 7 to catch the bus for an interview for a sanitation job when he ran into friends on the corner near a local liquor store. He had his phone but had left his wallet at home. One of those friends told Felipe Aguilar and his lawyers that he and Ventura Aguilar were detained by immigration agents and then held at B-18, a temporary holding facility at the federal building in downtown Los Angeles. The friend was deported the next day to Tijuana. He spoke to the family in a phone call from Mexico.
The Disappearance
Detainees at B-18 have limited access to phones and lawyers. Immigrants don’t usually turn up in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement online locator system until they’ve arrived at a long-term detention facility. According to Felipe Aguilar and Toczylowski, the friend said Ventura Aguilar began to shake, went unconscious and fell to the ground while shackled on Oct. 8 at a facility near the border. The impact caused his face to bleed. The friend said that facility staff called for an ambulance and moved the other detainees to a different room. Toczylowski said that was the last time anyone saw Ventura Aguilar.
The Investigation and Response
Toczylowski said the rapid timeline between when Ventura Aguilar was arrested to when he disappeared is emblematic of what she views as a broad lack of due process for people in government custody under the Trump administration and shows that “we don’t know who’s being deported from the United States.” Felipe Aguilar said he called his brother’s cell phone after hearing about the arrests but it went straight to voicemail. In a letter sent to DHS leaders, Kamlager-Dove asked what steps DHS has taken to determine whether anyone matching Ventura Aguilar’s identifiers was detained last month and whether the agency has documented any medical events or hospital transports involving people taken into custody around Oct. 7-8.
Conclusion
The disappearance of Vicente Ventura Aguilar has raised concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability in the immigration enforcement system. The fact that his family and lawyers have been unable to find him, despite numerous inquiries and searches, is alarming and highlights the need for greater oversight and reform. As Rep. Kamlager-Dove said, “Who else is missing?” The case of Ventura Aguilar is a reminder of the human cost of immigration policies and the importance of ensuring that the rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of their immigration status, are respected and protected.
FAQs
- What happened to Vicente Ventura Aguilar?
Vicente Ventura Aguilar, a 44-year-old Mexican immigrant, was taken into custody by immigration authorities on Oct. 7 in South Los Angeles and suffered a medical emergency. His family and lawyers have been unable to find him since then. - What has the Department of Homeland Security said about the case?
The Department of Homeland Security said that 73 people from Mexico were arrested in the Los Angeles area between Oct. 7 and 8, but none of them were Ventura Aguilar. - What have Ventura Aguilar’s family and lawyers done to try to find him?
They have checked with local hospitals, the Mexican consulate, and the Los Angeles and San Diego county medical examiner’s offices, but have been unable to find him. They have also enlisted the help of Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, who has written to DHS leaders asking for information about the case. - What are the concerns about the immigration enforcement system raised by this case?
The case highlights concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability in the immigration enforcement system, as well as the potential for individuals to be detained and deported without due process. - What is being done to investigate the disappearance of Ventura Aguilar?
Rep. Kamlager-Dove has written to DHS leaders asking for information about the case and requesting an immediate and comprehensive review of the agency’s actions. The Immigrant Defenders Law Center is also representing Ventura Aguilar’s family and advocating for his rights.
