On the morning of June 17, a troubling incident unfolded at Ruben Salazar High School in Pico Rivera, located in southeastern Los Angeles County. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were reportedly seen publicly urinating on school grounds, not far from where elementary school students were attending summer classes. The El Rancho Unified School District is calling for an investigation into this incident. They are sounding serious alarms about the way that federal agents acted on school grounds.
The incident only came to light because school district staff notified management of the agents’ egregious and illegal actions that were taking place in plain view. The El Rancho Unified School District was quick to denounce the actions of the ICE agents. They claimed that the agents “illegally trespassed” on school property. The district released video evidence as seen from the district’s surveillance cameras, which has been released on YouTube. The video footage… ICE’s surprise immigration crackdown even caught… ICE agents preparing at the high school prior to an immigration raid on the nearby Cascade Mall.
Ruben Salazar High School in Austin, TX, connected to one of its district’s elementary schools, a city park, and a preschool playground. This closeness increases the urgency about what these agents do. The school district’s statement emphasized that “at no time was a legal or legitimate reason offered or provided as to why ICE agents entered and remained on school grounds, nor did they provide any judicial warrant.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn joined the school district in calling for a full federal investigation into the matter. She took to Facebook to share her dismay at the situation and how it had affected the community nearby.
“It’s not enough that they’ve spent weeks violently ambushing people, now ICE and CBP agents are allegedly entering school campuses, pulling down their pants and urinating on playgrounds,” – Janice Hahn
The story quickly grew more dramatic after authorities subsequently arrested 20-year-old Adrian Martinez, a U.S. citizen. This almost happened while ICE was raiding the Pico Rivera shopping center. Martinez had previously made a verbal fuss at the arrest of one of his co-workers. Today, he is hounded by felony charges for interfering with such a federal agent.
“It’s a slap in the face to our communities – especially to our children. I join the El Rancho Unified School District in demanding a full federal investigation into this incident.” – Janice Hahn
These ramifications of this egregious behavior by federal agents go far beyond the realm of public decency laws. In California, a person convicted of public urination may face up to six months in county jail. In addition, they may be fined up to $1,000 and permanently required to register as a sex offender.
The implications of such behavior by federal agents extend beyond public decency laws. In California, any individual convicted of public urination can face up to six months in county jail, fines reaching $1,000, and may even be required to register as a sex offender.