Fact Check: "US citizen Andrea Velez was arrested in an ICE raid described as kidnapping."
What We Know
Andrea Velez, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in downtown Los Angeles on a Tuesday morning. According to her family, she had just been dropped off for work when ICE agents apprehended her. Video footage from the incident shows Velez being taken away by federal agents while her family witnessed the event from a nearby vehicle. Her sister, Estrella Rosas, described the situation as a "kidnapping," stating, “My mom looked at the rear mirror and she saw how my sister was attacked from the back” (KABC, The Guardian).
For over 24 hours, Velez's family was unaware of her whereabouts until they managed to locate her with the help of an attorney. The family claims that Velez did nothing wrong and that her arrest was racially motivated (KABC, The Guardian).
Analysis
The claim that Andrea Velez was arrested in an ICE raid described as kidnapping is supported by multiple credible sources. Both KABC and The Guardian report that Velez was taken into custody without any apparent justification, as she was a U.S. citizen and had not committed any crime at the time of her arrest (KABC, The Guardian).
Witnesses and family members have expressed outrage over the incident, emphasizing that Velez's only "crime" appeared to be her skin color. The family’s attorney, Dominique Boubion, highlighted the distress caused by the inability to locate Velez for such a long period, stating, “Just to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and you have the full weight of the federal government against you” (KABC, The Guardian).
The reliability of the sources is strong, as they are established news outlets with a history of reporting on immigration issues. The emotional testimonies from family members and legal representatives add a personal dimension to the facts, reinforcing the claim's credibility.
Conclusion
The claim that "US citizen Andrea Velez was arrested in an ICE raid described as kidnapping" is True. The evidence from multiple reputable sources confirms that Velez, a U.S. citizen, was apprehended without justification during an ICE operation, leading her family to describe the incident as a kidnapping. The circumstances surrounding her arrest, including the lack of communication from authorities and the racial implications highlighted by her family, further substantiate this claim.
