Cal Poly Pomona graduate released after immigration arrest in downtown L.A.
Federal authorities on Thursday released the Cal Poly Pomona graduate who was arrested during an immigration enforcement operation downtown Los Angeles earlier this week.
Andrea Guadalupe Velez, who is a U.S. citizen, expressed her relief after spending the past two days in a federal detention facility.
"It's been hard," Velez said. "I didn't know all this media coverage was happening and I'm just relieved that I'm outside."
Velez's mother and sister recorded federal agents carrying Velez away during an immigration enforcement operation. Her family had just dropped her off at the shoe store and had barely even driven a block before the arrest began. Velez said she remembered masked men suddenly surrounding her.
"It was just a day of work and everything happened so fast," Velez said. "They didn't identify themselves, so I was kind of scared. I was like 'what's going on?' ... I wasn't doing anything crazy. I was just going to follow orders, and they decided to pick me up, and that was kind of shocking."
On Wednesday, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Velez "was arrested for assaulting an ICE enforcement officer." In the criminal complaint against Velez, a federal agent said, "he saw a woman (later identified as Velez) step into his path and extend one of her arms in an apparent effort to prevent him from apprehending the male subject he was chasing."
Velez denied the claim. She added that she did not know the man and believes she was profiled.
"When I was already in the car, arrested, they asked for my ID, and they were kind of questioning whether I was a U.S. citizen or not," she said. "I'm Latina, so I'm pretty sure I was probably racially profiled."
CBS News Los Angeles contacted DHS for a comment on Velez's claims. They did not respond as of Thursday night.
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