"He's an American," Family says US citizen was detained by ICE in Montebello after warning of raid

Family says US citizen was detained by ICE

A man says his brother, a U.S. citizen, was detained after he warned workers about an ICE raid. Despite telling Border Patrol he was a citizen, they allegedly arrested him anyway.

LOS ANGELES - A man says his brother, a U.S. citizen, was detained after he warned workers about an ICE raid. Despite telling Border Patrol he was a citizen, they allegedly arrested him anyway. 

What we know:

Surveillance video shared with FOX 11 shows agents pulling up to DJ's Towing at 1553 W Olympic Blvd. in Montebello on Thursday at 4:32 p.m. Three to four men got out of the unmarked car and walked into the towyard. You can then hear someone yell "immigration, ICE." 

By 4:34 p.m., they had at least two men in handcuffs, with Javier Ramirez tackled to the ground. Cellphone video shows agents in a confrontation with multiple men outside the towyard. The men kept telling agents Ramirez was a US citizen, even offering to show his passport. 

His family believes he was arrested for warning others about ICE being on the property. 

What they're saying:

"When I walked up, I seen that my brother was pretty much, you know, beat up. And I told one of the CBP officers pretty much like did you hit my brother? What's going on? My family members came out and told them, hey, he's an American citizen. But they didn't they didn't pay attention to that, you know? And my brother told them, hey, I'm a U.S. Citizen. What are you guys doing? You know, I was born in San Bernardino, and they still antagonized him,"said Ramirez' brother, Abimael Dominguez.

He believes ICE and boarder patrol are racially profiling people. 

"It's about seeing Hispanics on the road. If they see Hispanics, they antagonize them, thinking ‘hey we're going to find undocumented [people] here'". 

The family said at one point, 40 ICE agents were in the area.

The other side:

  The U.S. Attorney's Office said Ramirez was arrested for assaulting an officer, but his family firmly denies that.

What's next:

His family said they haven't been able to speak to him, and only know that he is being held at the downtown detention center. 

His family said Ramirez is a diabetic and needs his insulin and worry he's not getting it. The family hopes to speak to Ramirez on Monday.