Video of a Mexican woman being arrested in front of her three daughters on a National City sidewalk in California has gone viral due to the nature in which the customs agents treated her. The video has caused outrage on social media and within the local community.
According to reports, Perla Morales-Luna, 36, was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Saturday, March 3 near 24th and D streets in National City, California. She was arrested by two men in plain clothing, who were then accompanied by a uniformed U.S. Border Patrol agent.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that Morales-Luna was arrested as part of a “targeted operation” for being in the country illegally. They also said that Luna had been arrested previously.
Alejandra Sotelo-Solis, a National City Councilmember, said she felt “sad” and “infuriated” when she saw the video.
A video capturing the emotional scene circulated widely on Facebook Thursday and provoked anger from immigrant rights activists and community leaders. The aggressive way in which the agents detained the woman, in front of her children, underscores immigration authorities’ “violent” methods of taking people into custody, advocates say.
“The mother is essentially stripped from the arms of her children,” Pedro Rios, director of the American Friends Service Committee in San Diego, told The Washington Post. “If there weren’t uniformed agents, it would resemble a kidnapping.”
CBP officials did not respond to criticism of the way Morales-Luna was detained and did not clarify what type of smuggling she is suspected of. Morales-Luna is in Border Patrol custody awaiting transfer to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for removal proceedings, according to the CBP statement.
According to NBC, Luna’s three daughters are staying with an aunt while their mother was in custody.
The 36-year-old mother is currently in Border Patrol custody awaiting transfer to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for removal proceedings.
