Activist says ICE rammed his truck in Oxnard

Group asserts video contradicts agents' claim that they were struck by the man.

- BY RUBEN VIVES

LUKE JOHNSON Los Angeles Times

INCIDENTS involving U.S. agents spurred outrage among activists and residents.

Video that appears to show federal immigration agents using their vehicle to ram the truck of an immigrant rights activist has sparked controversy and public outrage in the city of Oxnard, an agricultural town that has been the frequent target of immigration raids.

At the center of the controversy is a claim by federal agents that the activist was the aggressor, ramming into their vehicle.

The incident began shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday when Immigration and Customs Enforcement 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."

Cook said that federal agencies took control of the investigation. He did not know if the person arrested by agents requested a police report and referred all questions to the Homeland Security Department, which oversees agencies including ICE and Customs and Border Protection.

VC Defensa, an immigrant rights group that has been documenting immigration raids in the region, said on Instagram that one of its volunteers, whom the group identified as Leo Martinez, had been arrested.

The group also released video taken by witnesses that they said showed that the federal agents' allegation against Martinez was false.