6 hours ago
2
EL MONTE, Calif. -- A Southern California pistillate who livestreamed her detainment by national migration agents is speaking publically aft she was released from custody Friday evening, describing the brushwood arsenic frightening and traumatic.
Maria Santay is simply a U.S. national and is besides a assemblage observer, and believes that has made her a people of national agents. Her detention connected Friday is not the archetypal run-in she's had with migration agents.
Santay streamed the apprehension unrecorded connected Instagram from an El Monte Chevron presumption astatine Peck Road and Valley Boulevard astir 2 p.m. section time. The video shows agents surrounding her conveyance earlier breaking her car model with a hammer arsenic she cried out.
"They're breaking my model guys, I'm a U.S. citizen. Insane. This feline is breaking my model guys," she said successful the livestream. Moments later, the solid shattered.
"They're going to effort to apprehension me," she said, holding backmost tears. "This is insane. I can't judge this is happening guys. Lord, delight support me, Lord, please. Guys, I don't spot them."
Santay said she feared for her beingness during the encounter.
"I thought, 'This is it. These are my past moments,'" she recalled.
According to Santay, the confrontation followed what she believes was an intimidation brushwood with migration agents 2 days earlier, erstwhile officers stopped her car adjacent the 10 Freeway.
Video she recorded astatine the clip captured idiosyncratic telling her, "That's your archetypal warning."
"Turns out, they weren't stopping me, they were conscionable intimidating me," Santay said.
On Friday, Santay said agents boxed successful her car astatine the state presumption arsenic she was livestreaming.
"One of the officers got connected the curb connected the mediate land to container my car in, 1 came connected here, and 1 was down me. Because of each the commotion, the constabulary section got there," she said.
El Monte constabulary officers did not intervene arsenic national agents detained her.
"They threw maine successful their car, we got connected the 10 Freeway, they took maine each the mode connected a joyousness thrust to Santa Ana, and past they get disconnected connected an exit," she said.
By 5 p.m., Santay, whose charges see resisting arrest, was released. Her acquisition worsened erstwhile she said El Monte constabulary refused to fto her usage the restroom.
"They made maine pee successful the parking lot, successful immoderate bushes, down the equine carriers, with handcuffs on," she said.
In a statement, the El Monte Police Department said officers responded to a telephone from Customs and Border Protection to enactment nationalist safety, but that their officers "were not progressive successful the national operation."
Later Friday night, protesters gathered extracurricular the constabulary station, ringing cowbells and honking horns. Santay joined the objection contempt her earlier ordeal.
"I similar that they were taking their time, taking maine connected a joyride with BS charges, than picking up guiltless radical that they could person wounded connected the street, truthful I convey them for that. I said 'Thank you, convey you.' I thanked them for not sidesplitting me, too," she said.
Our sister station, ABC7 Eyewitness News successful Los Angeles, reached retired to Customs and Border Protection for remark connected Santay's arrest, but has yet to perceive back.
A GoFundMe has been acceptable up to assistance rise wealth for Santay arsenic she prepares for a ineligible defence and makes repairs to her vehicle.
Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
