Last Thursday, before lunchtime, Carlos Chavez was working at his taco stand just outside North Hills United Methodist Church. When he saw immigration officials approaching him, asking if he had papers, he panicked and ran into the church parking lot.
The adults and children from the church preschool and food ministry were shocked to see armed immigration officers suddenly rushing into the parking lot in pursuit of Chavez.
Audelina Martinez, who witnessed what happened, described “feeling scared for my life.” She said everyone around her was terrified to see the masked ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents running after one of their fellow congregation members on church grounds.
They soon grabbed Chavez and whisked him away. His wife and kids haven’t seen him since.
“This is such a difficult moment,” said Chavez’s wife, addressing the media during a press event outside the North Hills church earlier this week, a few days after the traumatic incident. She was joined by her son, church members, Methodist church leaders, LA City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and members of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE Justice).
Chavez had no debts, no criminal record and there was no warrant for his arrest, according to his soft-spoken and sometimes tearful wife, who declined to share her name due to privacy concerns. Regardless, her husband was deported to Tijuana within a day of being taken by ICE, she said.
Chavez suffered from bronchitis and anxiety, and while in custody “he started feeling like he couldn’t breathe. … He said he felt like he was going to die.” Chavez asked for help, but was denied care. Out of desperation, he signed a self-deportation order, which resulted in his swift deportation, explained his wife, who spoke with Chavez after he was already in Mexico.
“I just wanted to say [what happened], to help another family avoid the same struggle,” she added. “[The ICE agents] came straight to him; they were just looking for someone to grab. My husband always told me not to be afraid, that God is with us and nothing would happen to us.
“But, unfortunately, it did happen,” she said.
“Carlos Chavez was not just a vendor, he was not just the taquero. He was, and he is, a member of [our] faith community,” said Pastor Ervin Aguilon. “I have been providing pastoral care to him, to his family. He has been helping us with offering all he can for our children’s ministries.”
Church lay leader Cristina Barrientes echoed Aguilon’s words.
“Carlos was … a beloved member of the community, he was a member of our church,” said Barrientes. “He was a child of God, he was a father, a husband and what they did was unjust.”
Invading “Sacred” Space
“For me, that is not just a parking lot,” said Aguilon. “They [the ICE agents] entered my sacred place of ministry.”
“That’s something we want to clarify,” added Barrientos, explaining that they consider all church property – including the parking lot – to be “our church.” They utilize all church grounds for multiple ministries, and believe the agents who trespassed were violating its “sanctity,” she said.
“This is where our pastor ministers, and this is where we give holy communion,” she continued. “People are in fear, but luckily our ministries have not stopped” – including child care, a Central American refugee center and food distribution in partnership with North Valley Caring Services.
Guillermo Torres, director of Immigration and Outreach Campaigns for CLUE Justice, described the incident as “egregious” and said they plan to speak with civil rights attorneys about possible legal action.
“There is no justification for what happened,” said Torres, adding that ICE agents even used their vehicles to temporarily block other cars from entering or leaving the parking lot of the church, which is located on Rayen Street, near Sepulveda Boulevard in North Hills.
“I don’t want this to happen again,” said Aguilon, describing the incident as “deeply traumatizing” for congregants and community members, especially the children.
“Women and children had to be sheltered in rooms [for hours] – they were upset and crying,” said Torres. “[The ICE agents] violated the house of God and terrorized this community.”
DHS Statement
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin released a statement following the immigration enforcement activity at the church Jan. 29. She said Chavez was an unauthorized immigrant who had previously been removed from the U.S. in 2016.
“U.S. Border Patrol did NOT target United Methodist Church or its parking lot in North Hills, California,” read the statement. “[Chavez] chose to run from law enforcement … leading them on a foot chase before his arrest.”
To view a GoFundMe page for Chavez and his family, go to: www.gofundme.com/f/support-a-father-of-four-carlos-chavez-legal-fund.