At 3 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13, agents from the Department of Homeland Security broke down doors, broke windows and searched the homes of several volunteers from the community group VC Defensa, which defends the rights of immigrants in Ventura County.

The organization criticized the Department of Homeland Security in a press conference after federal agents searched the homes of some of its members and even pointed guns at them.

“We do this because it is our vocation and we dedicate ourselves to it because we grew up seeing how our parents were mistreated and how this country treats our friends and family,” said Leo Martínez, one of the main organizers of VC Defensa. “They pointed guns at us, but we will never stop this work because what we do is not for us, but for our community”

VC Defensa is a coalition of volunteer organizations that provides resources and legal assistance to communities affected by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. Additionally, they patrol neighborhoods to alert residents about immigration raids.

The operation was carried out in four locations and targeted three people. Martínez's home and business premises were searched, as well as the homes of Lainy, VC Defensa and Lexi, a mother who documents immigration actions in their communities.

The agents took mobile phones and laptops, as well as T-shirts and skateboards with the VC Defensa logo.

According to a report in the LA Times, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that agents from the Homeland Security Investigations Office executed warrants and seized certain objects.

“Several members of this organization have been previously detained for ambushing federal law enforcement and destroying government property,” DHS said in the statement. "This remains an ongoing investigation. To protect its integrity, we cannot provide further details at this time. Under President Trump, if law enforcement officers are targeted, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Other events

The incidents DHS is referring to are two collisions between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent vehicles and Martínez's vehicle. According to a report from L.A. TACO, on March 10, an ICE agent rammed Martínez's vehicle, forcing him to end up in the hospital and be charged with allegedly interfering in a federal operation.

Martínez affirms that all he was doing was documenting and not obstructing anything. “This is clearly unconstitutional; it is, without a doubt, an intimidation tactic directed against people who exercise their right to organize and protect their community,” said Reem Yassin, the group's lawyer.

Martínez said that last Wednesday, around 3 in the morning, he was woken up by about 35 federal agents who were in front of his house. He said they held him and his mother at gunpoint for about two hours before they were let go, images that were captured and shared on social media.

According to a statement from the organization, several volunteers have been subject to harassment by federal agents in recent months.

"One volunteer had his car crashed on three separate occasions by ICE agents. Another had agents knock on his door just weeks after being detained on trumped-up felony charges. A third had his phone confiscated after receiving more than 80 threatening calls directed at him and his family."

Another person who is also being investigated was Lexi, a mother who has been helping to protect her community by documenting ICE's actions in it. On her GoFundMe page she says the officers broke her bed and door, and that her children were present.

“I feel like I'm being targeted because I raise my voice to defend others,” Lexi said in a video posted on Instagram. "Nothing I do is illegal; I defend my community, those who cannot speak for themselves; I am not afraid and I want those who do the same work not to be scared by what they do: they are not doing anything wrong; they want to scare us, but they will not succeed."

During the press conference, the members of VC Defensa and their lawyer, Reem Yassin, stated that they were considering taking legal action against the United States Department of Homeland Security for the continuous harassment to which its members are subjected, which according to them, are legal activities of monitoring and documenting immigration raids in their community.

"We are not going to stop until we get ICE abolished! We are not going to stop until every single person in a detention center is free!" declared Lainy, one of the main organizers of VC Defensa, addressing a crowd last week.

“We will not stand by and allow them to continue trying to intimidate us!”