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@brittnymejia

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03.07.2023
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Latest posts by @brittnymejia

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Jury acquits L.A. man who towed immigration agent's car during TikTok influencer’s arrest A federal jury has acquitted Bobby Nunez, who was charged with stealing government property by towing an immigration agent’s vehicle during the arrest of a TikTok influencer in downtown L.A.

They've secured acquittals for five defendants charged with assaulting federal officers. One man was acquitted after being charged with stealing government property by towing an immigration agent’s vehicle.

www.latimes.com/california/s...

11.02.2026 19:04 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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L.A. public defenders are on a win streak as Trump's Justice Department charges activists The federal public defender's office in L.A. was 5 and 0 against prosecutors in trials related to immigration raids and protests. Trial No. 6 was last month.

Read one of my latest stories: The Federal Public Defender's Office in L.A. has handled every protest and immigration enforcement related case that's gone to trial since June.

They're 6 and 0 against the U.S. attorney’s office.

Here's their story www.latimes.com/california/s...

11.02.2026 19:04 👍 43 🔁 14 💬 2 📌 1

Five of the six cases were charged as assault on a federal officer.

One of the cases was charged as theft of government property, after a man towed an ICE vehicle during an immigration arrest.

29.01.2026 23:04 👍 24 🔁 6 💬 0 📌 0

Federal prosecutors have lost yet another immigration protest related trial in the Central District of California. This is the sixth trial that’s ended in an acquittal. By my count, they have yet to secure a guilty verdict from a jury.

Feds had charged Isaias Lopez w/ assault on a federal officer.

29.01.2026 23:04 👍 201 🔁 57 💬 1 📌 2
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Attacks on ICE up 1,000%? Trump administration claim not backed up by court records The Trump administration has cited a more than 1,000% increase in assaults on immigration agents to justify aggressive tactics. But court records reviewed by The Times show the majority of the alleged...

The White House says attacks on ICE are up 1000%

Court records in cities where federal law enforcement has been busiest tell a more complex story -- there are few serious injuries, and many allegations don't hold up in court.

Latest w/ @brittnymejia.bsky.social

www.latimes.com/california/s...

01.12.2025 15:55 👍 64 🔁 22 💬 4 📌 7
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As Federal Prisons Run Low on Food and Toilet Paper, Corrections Officers Leave in Droves for ICE Many of the problems the agency is facing now are not new, but staff and prisoners fear an exodus of officers could make life behind bars even worse.

“We’re broken and we’re being poached by ICE,” one official with the prison workers union told ProPublica. “It’s unbelievable. People are leaving in droves.”

By @keribla.bsky.social

30.11.2025 17:41 👍 651 🔁 306 💬 46 📌 53
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Hard lives in California's fields: 'The American dream eats us alive' Immigrant farmworkers toil, season after season, in jobs that most Americans wouldn't endure for a week. It's a rough life that takes a heavy toll.

Beautifully written must-read by @brittnymejia.bsky.social

Workers spend six-day weeks picking fruit in scorching heat, a job many Americans aren’t willing to do. Aging workers labor "until the body gives out"
www.latimes.com/california/s...

30.11.2025 18:06 👍 15 🔁 14 💬 1 📌 0
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'An American nightmare': L.A. hosts first congressional hearing on effect of immigration raids During a congressional oversight hearing in L.A. Monday, more than a dozen elected officials, experts and community members laid bare the impact of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown.

'An American nightmare': L.A. hosts first congressional hearing on effect of immigration raids

24.11.2025 21:50 👍 31 🔁 13 💬 0 📌 0

A Boyle Heights pastor spoke of a mother who lost her young daughter after a failed organ transplant and was paralyzed over whether to cremate her or bury her, as she wanted, because she feared being deported and unable to visit her child’s grave.

24.11.2025 21:54 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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'An American nightmare': L.A. hosts first congressional hearing on effect of immigration raids During a congressional oversight hearing in L.A. Monday, more than a dozen elected officials, experts and community members laid bare the impact of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration cr...

My latest: 'An American nightmare': L.A. hosts first congressional hearing on impact of immigration raids

www.latimes.com/california/s...

24.11.2025 21:54 👍 12 🔁 5 💬 1 📌 0
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Judge rules Trump's top federal prosecutor in L.A. is 'unlawfully serving' A federal judge issued a split decision in response to a challenge over how the Trump administration installed acting U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli, declining to dismiss indictments he has overseen but find...

I understand where you're coming from. My colleague @brittnymejia.bsky.social wrote a whole separate story about that the night before. She was actually the one who broke the news -- www.latimes.com/california/s...

29.10.2025 23:31 👍 3 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
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Judge rules Trump's top federal prosecutor in L.A. is 'unlawfully serving' — but won't dismiss indictments A federal judge issued a split decision in response to a challenge over how the Trump administration installed Acting U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli in his position as the region's top prosecutor.

BREAKING: A federal judge has disqualified Bill Essayli as acting U.S. attorney saying he “unlawfully assumed the role.” But says Essayli can keep his position as first assistant United States attorney. www.latimes.com/california/s...

29.10.2025 01:05 👍 33 🔁 14 💬 1 📌 1

Here’s Angel reuniting with his family after he was arrested by Border Patrol outside of a @gavinnewsom.bsky.social press conference last month. Minguela has no criminal record and DHS said he was detained for overstaying his visa.

23.09.2025 00:53 👍 31 🔁 8 💬 1 📌 0
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A strawberry delivery driver arrested by Border Patrol tries to make his way home Angel Minguela Palacios was arrested in Little Tokyo last month. He spent weeks in immigration detention, hoping to get home to the love of his life and their three children.

Last month, I wrote about Angel Minguela Palacios, who was arrested by Border Patrol while delivering strawberries.

On Thursday, I was with his partner and their three kids when they welcomed him home after he spent more than a month in ICE detention www.latimes.com/california/s...

21.09.2025 22:30 👍 613 🔁 169 💬 9 📌 4

I would, but we don’t have gift links :/ sorry about that

21.09.2025 23:22 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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A strawberry delivery driver arrested by Border Patrol tries to make his way home Angel Minguela Palacios was arrested in Little Tokyo last month. He spent weeks in immigration detention, hoping to get home to the love of his life and their three children.

Last month, I wrote about Angel Minguela Palacios, who was arrested by Border Patrol while delivering strawberries.

On Thursday, I was with his partner and their three kids when they welcomed him home after he spent more than a month in ICE detention www.latimes.com/california/s...

21.09.2025 22:30 👍 613 🔁 169 💬 9 📌 4
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Protester found not guilty of assault despite top Border Patrol official's testimony A misdemeanor assault case against Brayan Ramos-Brito was the first to go to trial after dozens of people were accused of impeding or attacking federal agents during protests against immigration enfor...

Protester found not guilty of assault against federal officer at L.A. immigration protest despite top Border Patrol official's testimony. Latest w/ @brittnymejia.bsky.social www.latimes.com/california/s...

17.09.2025 21:03 👍 234 🔁 79 💬 8 📌 17

I interviewed several people. Some said they showed up because of “patriotism.” Others were there in search of “a career, not a job.” I interviewed a 23 year old Latino applicant whose dad was deported when he was a teen.

Read my story to learn more about who showed up to join

31.08.2025 18:09 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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A small group of protesters also turned up to shout “shame” and urge applicants to “turn around.”

31.08.2025 18:09 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Everyone registered with a QR code to get in and immediately started lining up to show their ID and resume for jobs either as a deportation officer or ICE attorney.

This was the vibe inside. There were people from all different backgrounds and walks of life.

31.08.2025 18:09 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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ICE is hiring 10,000 agents. Some unexpected people want to join the Trump crackdown Thousands of applicants turned out for a two-day hiring expo for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Arlington, Texas, with many hoping to start a career as a deportation officer.

This week, I attended an ICE hiring expo in Arlington, Texas. Thousands of people turned out and nearly 700 received tentative job offers.

Here’s some of what I saw there

www.latimes.com/california/s...

31.08.2025 18:09 👍 11 🔁 6 💬 3 📌 0
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Tostada shell appreciation post

When my family was stationed in Germany the base commissary didn’t have tostadas so we had to fry up the tortillas by hand. Nothing like popping oil to wake you up quick

22.08.2025 20:31 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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He was delivering strawberries in L.A. when Border Patrol stopped him. 'The wrong place at the wrong time' Angel Rodrigo Minguela Palacios was delivering strawberries to a tearoom in Little Tokyo when Border Patrol agents massed nearby where Gov. Gavin Newsom was holding a news conference. Minguela ended u...

Last week, Border Patrol agents massed outside of a @governor.ca.gov news conference. They wound up arresting Angel Rodrigo Minguela Palacios, a strawberry delivery driver with no criminal record and just there to drop off fruit to a tea room.

This is his story

www.latimes.com/california/s...

20.08.2025 18:15 👍 337 🔁 154 💬 5 📌 11
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BREAKING: Trump administration asks #SCOTUS to lift federal judge's order barring "roving" immigration raids in Los Angeles area. Filing says 1 in 10 residents of the district are undocumented immigrants. Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

07.08.2025 21:00 👍 183 🔁 97 💬 11 📌 11
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I asked CBP for comment and they sent me this statement. I asked for more details and they said this was the only info available about the operation at this time. I also asked DHS for comment and am waiting to hear back

14.06.2025 03:31 👍 17 🔁 2 💬 2 📌 0
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Brian Gavidia told us he was stopped by a Border Patrol agent in Montebello and despite telling him he was American, was pushed against this fence. He said he gave his real ID to the agent and never got it back. Here’s video his friend took www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

14.06.2025 03:31 👍 688 🔁 301 💬 31 📌 15
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Union leader faces federal charge of conspiracy to impede an officer during L.A. ICE raids SEIU California President David Huerta was released on a $50,000 bond. He can’t knowingly be within 100 yards of federal agents or operations.

Huerta is out on a $50,000 bond. His arraignment is scheduled for July 7. Full story here: www.latimes.com/california/s...

10.06.2025 00:26 👍 70 🔁 28 💬 3 📌 0
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David Huerta has been released. Here he is embracing his wife outside the Roybal courthouse

09.06.2025 22:13 👍 10185 🔁 1665 💬 74 📌 60
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A lawyer for Ambiance Apparel — the company that was the site of an ICE workplace raid on Friday — released a statement to me earlier today.

There are reports that 46 people were detained there.

09.06.2025 20:21 👍 33 🔁 18 💬 1 📌 2

Sen. Adam Schiff is planning to attend the hearing and said the Justice Department is trying to make an example of Huerta. “This is part of the Trump playbook. They selectively use the Justice Department to go after their adversaries, it’s what they do.”

09.06.2025 20:01 👍 9 🔁 5 💬 0 📌 1