In downtown Los Angeles, over 40 workers from Aviance Apparel were arrested during an ICE raid, which targeted undocumented immigrants in the fashion district. Many of the detainees belonged to a close-knit community from a small town in Veracruz, Mexico. Carlos Gonzalez learned that his brother, Jose, had been taken, and rushed to the scene, where he saw the distress on his brother’s face as he was handcuffed.
Family members describe a sense of shock and fear, with some anticipating the raids due to increased media coverage. Sarai Ortiz, whose father Jose Ortiz has lived and worked in the U.S. for 30 years, expressed her despair as she has been unable to contact him since the raid. The families, now in turmoil, are trying to gather information, locate their loved ones, and secure their last paychecks, as the raids happened on payday. Gonazalez fears his brother may be moved to a distant detention center, making communication even more challenging.
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