The family of a US citizen arrested by masked federal agents in Los Angeles is demanding his return after officers drove away with his one-year-old daughter still in the car. The man, Dennis Quinonez, was taken into custody during an immigration enforcement operation in a Home Depot car park on Tuesday.
Witness video shows border patrol agents surrounding Quinonez's car, pulling him away in handcuffs, and then driving off with his toddler still in the backseat. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused him of assaulting officers and wielding a hammer, though this is not shown in the footage. Quinonez has been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and has an active warrant for property damage.
His mother, Maria Avalos, said she received a call from Customs and Border Protection to collect her granddaughter later that day, after waiting three hours. 'We didn't know what happened to her while she was in their care,' she said. 'There was no reason for ICE to abduct them.'
The arrest is part of a broader escalation of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, with thousands of federal officers deployed to cities. Similar incidents have occurred in Chicago, Massachusetts, and Oregon, where families have been separated from children during raids.
