ARLETA, LOS ANGELES – A family is denouncing the wrongful detention in Arleta of their 15-year-old son with disabilities, who was handcuffed and held at gunpoint by immigration agents outside his school.
On August 11, Andreina Mejia and her son were sitting in their car outside Arleta High School when several armed officers surrounded the vehicle. The teenager, who has speech and hearing disabilities, was separated from his mother and handcuffed for several minutes.
“I saw them pull out their guns and point them at us. My son was terrified; he didn’t understand what was happening,” Mejia said.
Agents were attempting to arrest Cristian Alexander Vasquez-Alvarenga, a Salvadoran national accused of MS-13 gang ties. However, the teenager was mistakenly treated as a suspect before being released.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) later stated that the family had cooperated with agents during the arrest. The family denies this claim, warning that such a statement puts their safety at risk.
Although the teen was freed shortly after, Mejia says the emotional damage remains: “My son has nightmares, he doesn’t want to go to school. Every morning I have to force him to get up, and it’s so hard for him.”
The family also notes that school security cameras recorded the entire incident and is demanding that the video of the detention in Arleta be released to clarify what happened.
