Immigration Agents Again Target a Teen, Now Apprehending An L.A. Student Walking His Dog

As the Trump administration continues immigration raids across the country, agents in California appear to be targeting minors. Earlier this week, reports emerged that a 15-year-old boy with disabilities was briefly detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents outside a Los Angeles high school. Just days later, the case of another high school student being detained has made headlines too.

According to multiple reports, Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz, who turned 18 earlier this month, was walking his family's dog in the Van Nuys neighborhood when he was taken into custody by federal immigration officials.

Since the first immigration raids in Southern California began on June 6, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have made 4,163 arrests in the Los Angeles area as of August, according to DHS data obtained by ABC 7 Los Angeles.

Among those impacted was Guerrero-Cruz, who was taken into custody on Aug. 8. In a statement to KTLA-TV, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the teenager remains in custody pending removal for overstaying his visa.

"Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, an illegal alien from Chile, overstayed his visa by more than two years, abusing the Visa Waiver Program under which he entered the United States, which required him to depart the United States on March 15, 2023," the statement read.

According to social media posts and a fundraiser created to support his family, Guerrero-Cruz was arrested by masked ICE agents just days before he was set to begin his senior year at Reseda High School. Witnesses say that when agents took him into custody, they tied his dog to a tree, removed its collar, and left it to run loose on a busy street.

The GoFundMe page launched in his support claims that Guerrero-Cruz was treated "like a criminal" and alleges that agents joked during the arrest, saying, "Thanks to him, they get to drink this weekend," as they would receive $2,500 for his arrest.

Although he was detained on Aug. 8, the fundraiser said Guerrero-Cruz's family was not allowed to see him until Aug. 12. He reportedly spent several days "cramped in a holding cell with about 50 others, without access to basic hygiene, warmth, or adequate food."

"Tomorrow would have been the first day of his senior year at Reseda Charter High School, full of promise," a fundraiser update said. "We call upon mothers and educators of conscience to join with us and call for Benjamin's immediate release and declare that our kids belong in classrooms, not cages."

As reported by KTLA-TV, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said on Thursday that he had spoken with the teen's mother, who was struggling to hold back tears.

"She was crying with every word that came out of her mouth," Carvalho said.

Amid growing fears about immigration enforcement near schools, LAUSD officials announced this week that the district will expand designated "safe zones" and other protective measures for students and families before and after school.

District leaders said staff from both central and regional offices will be deployed to campuses to monitor the surrounding areas and help ensure students can travel safely. While local law enforcement cannot stop federal agents, officers can notify parents of enforcement activity near walking routes and send alerts to nearby schools.

The district also plans to update its policies, adjust bus routes, and has already mailed and emailed "family preparedness packs" to households. These include information on legal rights, available resources, LAUSD's "compassion fund," and instructions for updating emergency contacts, according to FOX 11.

Carvalho warned that immigration operations near schools have created a climate of fear among immigrant communities and may lead to reduced attendance.

"We are concerned about the first, second, and third weeks of school," he said. "We don't know what enrollment will look like. We know many parents may have already left our community. They may have self-deported. We don't know, and that can be disruptive to this school year."