Families connected to pro-Palestinian activists have reported that their homes were targeted by immigration enforcement agents who were investigating the distribution of flyers containing personal information about these officers.
Annie Yang and Yuzong Chang shared with KABC-TV that they were awakened early Thursday at their home in Irvine, California by agents from the Department of Homeland Security. They captured drone footage showing an ICE agent in their neighborhood, with neighbors watching from their windows.
The agents were seeking their son, Michael Chan, specifically relating to a poster that had been displayed publicly in Los Angeles around three months prior, which revealed the personal details of an ICE officer. Yang remarked, “They say they tracked the IP,” while Chan added that the agents wanted to clarify Michael’s role in the incident.
Though the officers did not find Michael, they took their family router and hard drive under a criminal search warrant, which held photos of the family. “We were confused, so we asked the agent if we could talk directly,” Yang noted, explaining that they ended up discussing the situation with the agent.
The couple mentioned that their son had moved to New York in March. They also noted that he had previously been arrested for taking part in the pro-Palestinian protest at UC Irvine but managed to complete community service, which led to reduced charges.
Chang expressed his surprise at the raid, admitting, “It never happened to us before.” Yang added, “It felt like we were in a movie. It was so unreal.”
ICE later confirmed in a brief statement that a search had indeed occurred as part of a larger criminal investigation, but they refrained from providing any additional information at that moment.
For visuals from the raid, KABC has shared footage on their YouTube channel.
