ICE Agents Arrest Mother of Two at Assisted Living Facility
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Federal immigration agents arrested a mother of two after she fled into a nearby assisted living facility in Pasadena, according to KTLA 5.
Rosalina Luna Vargas was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Saturday morning on the morning of June 28, 2025, at around 8 AM in Pasadena, according to a post on GoFundMe.
Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the family for comment.
Government agents muster nearby before an immigration sting at Corso's Flower and Garden Center, Tuesday, June 5, 2018, in Castalia, Ohio.
Government agents muster nearby before an immigration sting at Corso's Flower and Garden Center, Tuesday, June 5, 2018, in Castalia, Ohio.
John Minchillo/AP Photo
Why It Matters
The arrest comes amid a crackdown on immigration by President Donald Trump's administration. Trump has vowed to remove millions of immigrants without legal status as part of a hard-line mass deportation policy. The White House has said that anyone living in the country illegally is a "criminal."
What To Know
Vargas works as a caregiver, according to a post on GoFundMe, which has been set up by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, a worker rights advocacy group.
Her children were there when the incident happened during the day at the intersection of Catalina and Del Mar.
Jillian Reed, a Caltech graduate and local resident, captured the event on video as she drove past and saw the events unfold from the sidewalk.
The video shows three individuals in plain clothes, two of whom were wearing masks and badges on lanyards, attempting to guide Vargas into an unmarked Honda Accord. A third man who had no visible identification was also involved, per a report by KTLA 5.
"I saw the commotion while driving, and when I slowed down, the kids shouted for help," Reed told the outlet. "They kept asking for a warrant. They told the officers they would stop resisting if they just showed them a warrant. One of the men said he had one but didn't show it."
Reed told KTLA 5 that she called 911, reporting what she initially believed to be a possible kidnapping.
Vargas reportedly broke free from the agents and ran into the courtyard of the nearby Del Mar Park Assisted Living Facility, followed closely by her children. The agents pursued, but the children intervened, attempting to physically shield their mother.
"They formed a human wall," Reed said. "One of the kids clung to her, telling her, 'Don't let go! Don't let go!' while crying. Then he started shouting to the crowd, 'I can't lose my mom!'"
Pasadena police later arrived and collected statements from witnesses at the scene. According to Reed, ICE agents returned afterward and took Vargas into custody.
A family member informed Reed that the warrant involved a different individual.
What People Are Saying
The National Day Laborer Organizing Network wrote in a post on GoFundMe: We are heartbroken and outraged. No one should be taken from their family like this. Rosalina's detention has left her children traumatized and without the daily care and love that only a mother can give.
California State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez said in a post on X: "Pasadena mom Rosalina Vargas was taken by immigration enforcement early Saturday morning in front of her children. Please consider donating to her family to help her legal defense and cover the basic needs of her children.
Reed told KTLA 5: "I didn't know if I was witnessing a hate crime or a kidnapping. And because they might have been law enforcement, I wasn't even sure whether to call the police."
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