The arrest of the Mexican influencer Karla Toledo, known on social networks as “Karlangas”, caused a wave of indignation in Arizona and revived the debate about immigration actions against beneficiaries of the DACA program during the new deportation offensive promoted by the administration of President Donald Trump.

Toledo, 31 years old and originally from Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, was arrested on May 18 inside her home in Tucson by agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE). The young woman arrived in the United States when she was barely one year old and, according to her lawyers and family, her protection was still in force under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Videos captured by security cameras show the moment when immigration agents approach the home while Toledo and her husband were preparing to go to work. In the images, the young woman is heard repeatedly questioning whether the officers had a court order to enter the property and proceed with her arrest.

According to his parents' story, the agents never showed an order signed by a judge. The family maintains that Toledo decided to leave the house believing that she could not be detained because her immigration status was in order.

Karla Toledo has gained notoriety on digital platforms for sharing content about fashion, lifestyle and personal improvement, in addition to collaborating with community organizations that support migrants in Arizona.

Political and community pressure grows in Arizona

Hours after the arrest, dozens of protesters gathered in front of ICE offices in Tucson with banners and slogans demanding the immediate release of the young Mexican woman.

Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva went to the detention center and later reported that Toledo was in good physical condition. The legislator publicly asked that the immigration authorities explain the reasons for the detention.

“We want to make it clear that Toledo was kidnapped from her home by ICE agents,” declared attorney Mo Goldman during a press conference in Tucson, assuring that the operation was “irregular and unjustified.”

The legal defense maintains that the DACA beneficiary does not have a criminal record or previous deportation orders, situations that are normally considered a priority for immigration detention.

Carolina Silva, executive director of the organization Scholarships, pointed out that arrests of people protected under DACA usually occur only when there are serious crimes or important immigration violations, circumstances that - she stated - do not apply in this case.

DHS assures that the influencer attacked an agent

In contrast, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the actions of the agents and stated in a statement that Toledo was arrested after allegedly assaulting a federal officer during an operation directed against another person.

The agency also stated that the immigrant registered an “illegal entry” into the United States on October 12, 2024 and that at the time of her arrest there was an active detention order, in addition to a pending DACA renewal application.

However, Toledo's lawyers rejected these accusations and assured that the young woman had an official travel permit issued by the immigration authorities, so her re-entry into the country was legal.

Toledo currently remains in custody at the ICE detention center in Eloy, Arizona, while facing immigration proceedings that could lead to deportation.

The case has generated concern among immigrant advocacy organizations, which warn of a tightening of immigration measures even against people covered by federal programs such as DACA, created in 2012 during the Barack Obama administration to protect young people brought to the country as children from deportation.