When Francisco Castañon saw an unmarked, tinted black car in Pasadena last week, he suspected it might belong to a federal agent conducting immigration operations in the area. So he decided to snap a photo of the license plate.
To his surprise, Castañon said, the driver of the vehicle, wearing a black “police” vest over a plain T-shirt, jumped out and pointed a gun at him. Cellphone video recorded by a bystander, and shared by KTLA, appears to show at least part of the incident as it unfolded.
“ I thought it was going to be my last day on Earth,” he told LAist. “ I really thought that was going to be my last moments.”
Several stories like Castañon’s have been reported across the country as federal authorities conduct immigration sweeps, sparking protests in response. Adding to the confusion, some local and state leaders say, are instances in which it’s not clear whether a person is law enforcement or someone who might be taking the law into their own hands.
A new California bill — called the “No Vigilantes Act,” announced Monday by state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) — aims to address the issue.
If it becomes law, it would require law enforcement working in California to clearly display identification information, including either name or badge number, and ban bounty hunters from engaging in any form of immigration enforcement.
Pérez said that when federal immigration officers don’t identify themselves, it opens up opportunities for others to take advantage of the situation.
“ We are supposed to assume they are federal agents from Homeland Security or ICE, but the truth is, unless these individuals provide proper identification, we don't know,” she said at a news conference outside Pasadena City Hall.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has condemned impersonators, posting on social media in March that “it’s dangerous, illegal and will be prosecuted.”
What we know — and what we don’t — about the incidents
Castañon, who spoke at the news conference, said he saw the unmarked car with tinted windows and bars in the backseat — like those found in police vehicles — around Orange Grove Plaza Center last Wednesday.
He said he was on the way to his family’s businesses to make sure they got home safely. Because he had seen videos and reports of people being detained in immigration actions in the area, the car stood out as suspicious to him and other community members who had gathered at the plaza.
He said he ran toward the intersection of Los Robles Avenue and Orange Grove Boulevard to snap a photo of the license plate with his cellphone.
Castañon said the driver jumped out of the vehicle and ordered him to move away from it. The man had the gun in his hand, Castañon said, but offered no badge, no name and no explanation.
“ At that moment, I was terrified,” Castañon said Monday. “ I keep thinking to myself, what if I hadn't run? What if I had froze up or simply said the wrong thing at that moment? How far would have that man gone?”
It’s still unclear if the man was a federal agent or an armed vigilante, according to Castañon and Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, who also spoke at the news conference.
While it is uncertain whether the man who pointed the gun at Castañon was actually law enforcement or whether he was impersonating a federal agent, there have been recent reports of people doing the latter.
One example was in South Carolina in January, where a man was charged with kidnapping after allegedly detaining a group of Latino men. And in North Carolina, also in January, a man was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman and threatening to deport her if she didn’t comply.
Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA, said members of her organization have witnessed and received reports of people believed to be federal agents drawing weapons on bystanders in the Los Angeles area.
She told LAist that the organization hasn't been able to find some of the people who’ve been picked up in apparent immigration actions.
“Family members don't know where they are. All they know is that a neighbor told them that some unmarked car picked them up,” Salas said. “So did they get picked up by ICE or did they get picked up by somebody else?”
About the bill
Pérez said in a statement that legislation like the “No Vigilantes Act” would have been unnecessary and unheard of under other circumstances, but these are “extraordinary” and “unprecedented” times.
She said there is a need for stronger, more consistent standards for law enforcement identification.
The bill would work alongside another state bill that would prevent police at all levels from covering their faces while working.
If passed, the “No Vigilantes Act” would go into effect at the beginning of next year.
