Overview

• Cary López Alvarado, 28, was taken into custody on June 8 in Hawthorne, California, after agents accused her of obstructing an arrest despite her declaration of U.S. citizenship.
• Witnesses filmed officers shoving her as she leaned forward to protect her stomach, and she was hospitalized with sharp abdominal pains after her release.
• ICE asserts she blocked access to a vehicle carrying two undocumented immigrants, a claim her family disputes by saying she and her cousin Alberto Sandoval were merely opening a private parking gate.
• The arrest came during a series of large-scale ICE raids across Los Angeles County and has ignited days of protests against President Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement.
• Immigrant rights groups and California officials have filed legal challenges against federal enforcement tactics, demanding greater oversight and accountability of ICE operations.