Three women have been indicted after they followed an ICE agent home and then posted his address to Instagram.
Cynthia Raygoza, 37, Ashleigh Brown, 38, and Sandra Carmona Samane, 25, encountered a federal agent at the Civic Center in Downtown Los Angeles on August 28, according to the Justice Department.
They began livestreaming on various Instagram accounts, including ‘ice_out_of_la,’ ‘defendmesoamericanculture,’ and ‘corn_maiden_design.’
As the agent drove home, the protesters followed him in a black sedan driven by Raygoza, CBS Los Angeles reported.
After arriving at the agent’s residence, the women began loudly announcing to both bystanders and their social media followers that ‘your neighbor works for ICE,’ ‘la migra (slang for U.S. immigration officers) resides here,’ and ‘ICE is on your street, and you ought to know.’
The protesters, all wearing masks, ended by saying where the agent lived and invited anyone watching to his home: ‘Come on down.’
The Instagram accounts have all since scrubbed the footage from their pages.
A federal grand jury has charged them with one count of conspiracy and one count of revealing a federal agent’s personal information publicly, which carries a potential penalty of up to ten years in federal prison if they are convicted.
The three women have been indicted following their act of tracking an ICE agent to his residence and then sharing his address on Instagram. During the agent’s commute, they pursued him in a black sedan driven by Raygoza (shown in the picture), who is still not in custody.
In July, a sizable group of protesters gathered on the Sixth Street Bridge, which links downtown Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, to protest ICE deportation activities in Los Angeles.
Browne and Samane have already been apprehended on federal criminal charges, with Browne being detained without the option of bail, as she is facing additional charges in a separate case involving assault on a federal officer.
Samane was freed on $5,000 bond. Law enforcement has yet to find Raygoza.
‘Our brave federal agents put their lives on the line every day to keep our nation safe,’ said Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli.
‘The conduct of these defendants are deeply offensive to law enforcement officers and their families. If you threaten, dox, or harm in any manner one of our agents or employees, you will face prosecution and prison time.’
Anti-ICE agitators disrupted the proceedings in court Thursday, The New York Post reported.
It’s yet another case of anti-ICE violence, revealed just days after a shooter killed two people at an immigration facility in Texas.
Despite the danger ICE agents find themselves in, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill banning law enforcement officers from wearing masks while on the job earlier this week.
The state’s ban is the first of its kind in the US and was introduced in response to ICE officers using face coverings during Los Angeles’ immigration raids.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill banning law enforcement officers from wearing masks while on the job earlier this week (US Border Patrol agents pictured on August 1 before the ruling)
The move has been slammed by police and security experts alike, who say it places agents at risk of retaliation for doing their jobs.
Tricia McLaughlin, Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs, told the AP that the bill was ‘despicable and a flagrant attempt to endanger our officers’.
She said that federal law enforcement officers are ‘being assaulted by rioters,’ and has claimed that Newsom’s rhetoric led to an 1,000 percent increase in attacks on federal agents.
She called Newsom a ‘sanctuary politician’ who is trying to stop agents protecting themselves from being ‘doxxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers.’
She also noted that federal agents are already required to identify themselves and wear clothing that designates they are with ICE or Homeland Security while conducting their operations.
Bill Essayli, acting U.S. attorney for Southern California, also criticized California’s mask ban on X, saying the state has no jurisdiction over federal government agents.
‘If Newsom wants to regulate our agents, he must go through Congress,’ he said.
The California State Sheriff’s Association called the ban reckless and dangerous to agents and their families.
The Peace Officers Research Association of California, which represents more than 80,000 public safety members, and the California Police Chiefs Association were also against the mask ban.
Opponents said agents have faced increased harassment online and in public and that keeping their identities secret is essential to their safety and the safety of their families.
Anti-ICE agitators disrupted the proceedings in court Thursday
Donald Trump has demanded that Democrats turn down the rhetoric against ICE agents after the Dallas shooting.
‘The Brave Men and Women of ICE are just trying to do their jobs, and remove the ‘WORST of the WORST’ Criminals out of our Country, but they are facing an unprecedented increase in threats, violence, and attacks by Deranged Radical Leftists,’ he said on Truth Social.
‘This violence is the result of the Radical Left Democrats constantly demonizing Law Enforcement, calling for ICE to be demolished, and comparing ICE Officers to ‘Nazis.”
‘I AM CALLING ON ALL DEMOCRATS TO STOP THIS RHETORIC AGAINST ICE AND AMERICA’S LAW ENFORCEMENT, RIGHT NOW!’
He added that his administration remained committed to its day one promise of strong borders.
