**Controversy Erupts in Oxnard After Federal Agents Allegedly Ram Truck of Immigrant Rights Activist**
Video footage appearing to show federal immigration agents using their vehicle to ram into the truck of an immigrant rights activist has sparked public outrage in Oxnard, an agricultural city frequently targeted in immigration raids.
At the center of the controversy is a disputed claim by federal agents that the activist was the aggressor, having rammed into the agents’ vehicle. The incident began shortly before 8 a.m. on Thursday when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents notified the Oxnard Police Department that their vehicle had been rammed by a civilian’s vehicle near the intersection of 8th and A streets, according to Sgt. Martin Cook.
“We responded, and ICE agents detained an individual, and a crowd started to gather,” Cook said. “We were there to keep the peace and prevent any type of altercation with ICE or any other federal agency.” He added that federal agencies took control of the investigation. Cook did not know if the person arrested by agents requested a police report and referred all questions to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE and Customs and Border Protection.
VC Defensa, an immigrant rights group documenting immigration raids in the region, identified one of its volunteers, Leo Martinez, as the individual arrested. The group shared video footage taken by eyewitnesses, claiming the federal agents’ allegation against Martinez was false.
“ICE intentionally struck Leo’s truck and blocked his exit while Leo was exercising his right to observe ICE activity,” the group stated on Instagram.
The video begins with a Jeep Cherokee with tinted windows tailing a dark gray truck before ramming the passenger door on the driver’s side. The truck then pulls into a dirt lot, where the group says Martinez was arrested.
“This shameful escalation by ICE is nothing more than an attempt to intimidate those of conscience who are standing up against Trump’s assault on immigrants,” VC Defensa said. “We will not be deterred, and we will continue to keep our communities safe.”
This incident is the latest controversy involving federal immigration agents that has sparked outrage among activists and residents, as well as raised questions about previous claims made by agents.
Two months ago in San Bernardino, federal immigration officers stopped Francisco Longoria. During the encounter, Longoria, who was in his truck with his 18-year-old son and 23-year-old son-in-law, said he feared for their safety after masked officers shattered his car window. He then drove off, prompting an officer to fire several rounds at the truck.
DHS officials stated that officers were injured when Longoria allegedly tried to “run them down,” prompting an officer to discharge his firearm in self-defense. Attorneys for Longoria dispute these claims, denying any injuries to officers or attempts to hit them, and have called for an investigation into the shooting.
In June, Arturo Hermosillo was accused of ramming his van into a federal agent’s vehicle after agents instructed him to move his van for an ambulance responding to a woman injured during an immigration sweep. Hermosillo said he was reversing when a federal agent blocked his view by pushing in his side view mirror; he then bumped into a vehicle behind him. Agents subsequently pulled him out of the van.
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin told The Times at the time that a person “rammed his vehicle into a law enforcement vehicle” during the June 19 operation. She also said that “CBP agents were assaulted during the operation and verbally harassed.” However, videos from that day did not capture assaults; they showed residents yelling at agents.
The incident in Oxnard mirrors aggressive tactics reported elsewhere, including Chicago. A Chicago-area mayor accused ICE agents of using excessive force during arrests at a cemetery, and a pastor protesting at a detention center was shot in the head with a pepper ball. Concerned about these clashes, a federal judge is considering ordering agents to wear body cameras.
While the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment on the Oxnard incident, DHS issued a statement to CNN defending its agents. The statement said claims that the agency is using “harsher approaches” are “smearing” federal agents who “put their lives on the line every day to enforce the law.”
On Thursday in downtown Los Angeles, just outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, a crowd gathered holding signs reading “Free Leo Now!” and “ICE out of L.A.” They listened as Leo Martinez thanked them for their support.
“I knew I didn’t do anything wrong; that’s why they released me with pending charges,” Martinez told the crowd. “That’s what they do with pretty much a lot of our volunteers because we didn’t do anything wrong.”
“They smashed into me,” he continued as people clapped. “And then they tried to accuse me of assaulting them — what kind of bull— is that?”
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-10-16/agents-accuse-activists-of-slamming-into-their-vehicle