An immigration operation in a Guatemalan bakery in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ended with the arrest of its owner and opened a strong dispute between the version of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) and the story of their relatives, workers and community organizations.

Jacobo Zapeta Castro, owner of El Quetzal Panadería y Cafetería, was taken into federal custody after several hours of tension around the business. Employees maintain that he decided to leave and turn himself in to prevent the agents from entering the premises and arresting other people. ICE, on the other hand, assured that it was an operation specifically directed against him and linked him to an immigration and criminal record.

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“I prefer that they take me”

The operation occurred on Wednesday, July 8, on Lucerne Avenue, in Lake Worth Beach. Witnesses said numerous federal agents and Florida Highway Patrol officers surrounded the bakery, while employees, family members and neighbors remained inside and outside the establishment.

Gilmer Zapeta, a worker at the business, told the local network WFLX that the owner decided to turn himself in when he believed that his employees could also be arrested.

The family claimed that the handover was negotiated to avoid a potentially dangerous confrontation for employees, customers and others inside the establishment. Mariana Blanco, representative of the Guatemalan-Maya Center, would have intervened as a mediator between the merchant and the agents.

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ICE version is different

ICE presented a different reconstruction. The agency said its agents located a vehicle linked to Zapeta Castro around 10:30 a.m. and tried to stop it.

According to the agency, the merchant tried to ram an official vehicle, abandoned the car and ran towards the bakery, where he barricaded himself. ICE indicated that it requested support from other forces to secure the place and that the man later surrendered.

The agency described the detainee as a citizen of Guatemala who had been expelled from the United States four times. He also claimed he had prior convictions for illegal reentry after deportation, arrests for driving under the influence, hit and run, and resisting arrest.

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The family denies that they had a current deportation order

Zapeta Castro's children rejected the official characterization. They said their father had a valid work permit and driver's license, was in compliance with his immigration obligations and was not subject to an active deportation order.

The family also claimed that they own a business, pay taxes and support several families through bakery jobs. Until now, no judicial or immigration documents have been publicly released that would allow the differences between both versions to be completely resolved.

The community questioned the deployment

The arrest mobilized Palm Beach County residents and immigrant support organizations. Some witnesses considered the number of agents deployed around a small family business excessive.

The family also reported that two teenage sons of the owner, both US citizens, were exposed to the operation, while the agents tried to get their father to leave the building.

Meanwhile, the arrest is confirmed, as is the participation of ICE and state forces. It is also proven that Zapeta Castro left the establishment and was arrested without any injuries being reported.

What remains in dispute is why he entered the bakery, whether he tried to ram an official vehicle, what his exact immigration status was and whether his surrender responded to an agreement to protect the workers. The information is still partial, and many questions remain to be answered.