Calls for investigation after ICE detains US citizen on walk to California school

The detention of a US citizen with disabilities who was walking to high school in California has prompted demands for an investigation and accusations of racial profiling. Erik Zepeda, 20, suffered a broken wrist that required surgery after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stopped him in Santa Maria on October 21.

Zepeda, whose disabilities affect his physical reflexes and verbal communication, told the Guardian in writing that agents tackled and handcuffed him during his usual walk to school. “I thought they were going to kill me,” he said. A volunteer monitoring ICE activity said officers approached from behind, restrained him face-down and drove him around before releasing him. Zepeda then walked the remaining half mile to school with a black eye and severe wrist pain. Staff called an ambulance.

The Guardian reviewed dashcam and phone recordings supplied by the volunteer, who requested anonymity because of concerns about retaliation from federal officials. Footage shows masked officers approaching Zepeda from behind and him pulling his arm away when an officer touches it. A later recording shows officers restraining him on the ground before putting him in a vehicle. The videos do not capture the entire encounter.

ICE defended its officers, saying they were carrying out a targeted operation and believed Zepeda resembled the person they sought. A spokesperson said he resisted, ignored lawful commands and adopted a fighting stance, and denied that he suffered broken bones. His attorneys, JP Cooney and Molly Gaston of Democracy Forward, said hospital discharge records confirmed surgery for a fractured wrist. They accused ICE of unlawfully assaulting their client and issuing a false account.

California Democratic senator Adam Schiff called for accountability, while Democratic representative Salud Carbajal requested a full and transparent investigation in an October 29 letter to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. Santa Maria police chief Christopher Williams said an investigation was ongoing and that he had notified the county district attorney, California’s justice department and DHS. Santa Barbara county district attorney John Savrnoch said his office was coordinating with authorities to establish what happened.

The observer’s account also raised questions about ICE’s description of a targeted operation. According to the volunteer, officers stopped and released two other drivers in the preceding 20 minutes. Recordings reviewed by the Guardian document those encounters. The observer described the first driver as Hispanic and the occupants of the second vehicle as appearing to be Latino.

On October 23, a federal judge barred immigration agents across California’s central district, which includes Santa Maria, from stopping people solely because they appear Latino and working-class or low-income. The order arose from a racial profiling lawsuit. The Trump administration has appealed the preliminary injunction.

The detention occurred during increased ICE activity across California. The nonprofit 805 UndocuFund recorded more than 280 arrests across three central coast counties in October, compared with a monthly average of roughly 150 during the previous nine months. More than 100 October arrests were in Santa Maria. Hundreds of students at Santa Maria High and Lompoc High walked out on October 30 to protest Zepeda’s treatment.

Glenn Goldin, Zepeda’s former special education teacher and a close mentor, said the student remained shaken and did not expect to return to school for several weeks. Zepeda, who lives in a group home for adults with disabilities, had only begun walking to school independently last year. Goldin said that independence had been a source of pride.