A pregnant U.S. citizen who was detained by federal agents about two weeks ago has recently welcomed a healthy baby girl, but her boyfriend now faces exclusion from the state, and her challenges are far from over.
Cary López Alvarado shared her experience with Nexstar’s KTLA, saying she tried to stay strong during the frightening encounter outside the building where her boyfriend and cousin were working on June 8th.
In video footage captured by López, a masked agent can be seen questioning her identity while she protects the truck belonging to her boyfriend Brayan Nájera and cousin Alberto Sandoval.
Ultimately, all three were taken into custody. More clips circulating on social media show an agent manipulating the situation after securing the truck against the walls.
“They had my boyfriend on the ground and were dealing with my cousin… I was just knocking on the door from inside the car,” López recalled. “[I asked] ‘Why are you treating us this way? We did nothing wrong.’”
A representative from Homeland Security stated that López was arrested for obstructing agents from accessing a vehicle containing “two undocumented Guatemalan individuals.”
The statement indicated that during the incident, an agent was assaulted and additional individuals were detained to facilitate the agents’ actions.
López mentioned that during her processing at a facility in San Pedro, the agent immediately assumed she was undocumented based on her background.
She recalled their exchange: “[They said] ‘But you’re from Mexico, right?’ I replied, ‘No, I’m from here.’ And they asked, ‘Where is this?’ I said, ‘Here, USA, Los Angeles.’
“They had us in chains—chains from our hands under my belly down to my feet,” she explained. “Sometimes I felt pressure from the chain on my stomach, so I had to hold my hands still.”
López was released after expressing stomach pain and went directly to the hospital, where she began experiencing contractions.
Four days later, she gave birth to her daughter, but the troubles continued as Nájera, the baby’s father, is reportedly being held in a facility in Texas, despite having no criminal record.
“He has no criminal history or anything,” she said tearfully. “They took him while he was at work, and it’s painful because he didn’t do anything wrong. He was just trying to support his family. Why are people treated this way when they aren’t criminals?”
“Color doesn’t matter, status doesn’t matter… At the end of the day, we’re all human,” she said, fighting back tears.
López’s legal team informed KTLA that she hasn’t been charged with any crime. For now, she will focus on caring for her new baby girl.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help López hire an immigration lawyer for her boyfriend and assist with childcare costs during his absence.
