The mother of a 15-year-old boy mistakenly detained at gunpoint by federal immigration agents in Los Angeles has filed a $1 million claim, accusing the Trump administration of false imprisonment and racial profiling. The incident, which unfolded outside Arleta High School, has sparked outrage and renewed debate over immigration enforcement tactics near schools.
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Teen Mistaken for Suspect
On August 11, the boy, a U.S. citizen with disabilities, was waiting in a car with his mother when masked agents from ICE and Border Patrol surrounded them, pulled them out, and handcuffed the teen. Agents later admitted they had confused him with a suspect. According to his mother, one agent told her son to “look at the bright side: you’re gonna have an exciting story to tell your friends when you go back to school.” She responded: “What’s exciting about getting guns pointed at you?”
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Legal Claim Alleges Racial Profiling
The $1 million claim, filed by the Carrillo law firm, accuses the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, and ICE of detaining the teen without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. The filing states the boy suffered both physical injury and emotional trauma. It further alleges that agents “racially profiled [the teen] while he was merely sitting in his car” and left live bullet rounds on the ground in what the family’s attorneys call “clear negligence.”
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Community Outrage and Fear
The incident has fueled widespread anger in Los Angeles, especially among families with children in public schools. Earlier the same week, authorities arrested an 18-year-old while he was walking his dog, just days before starting his senior year. Advocates say such encounters heighten fear in immigrant communities and disrupt students’ sense of safety. The Los Angeles Unified School District pledged to strengthen protections to “ensure that schools remain safe, supportive spaces for all children and families – regardless of immigration status.”
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Officials Condemn Tactics
LAUSD superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho called the boy’s detention “unacceptable,” warning that immigration enforcement around schools “disrupts learning and creates anxiety that can last far beyond the school day.” Congresswoman Luz Rivas also condemned the administration’s actions, saying the continued use of “violent tactics” was designed “to terrorize our students and families.”
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Federal Agencies Push Back
The Department of Homeland Security rejected claims that the operation targeted a school, saying agents were focused on “a criminal illegal alien” and not on children. “What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S. – NOT their skin color, race, or ethnicity,” the agency said. DHS insisted its officers were working to remove “murderers, MS-13 gang members, pedophiles, [and] rapists” from communities. It accused the family’s lawyers of exploiting “racial animus to collect clicks, clout, and cash.”