The incident captured on video has reignited public scrutiny over federal agents operating with minimal accountability—and fueled growing speculation about who these officers really are
June 25, 2025
By Nick Valencia
LOS ANGELES — The games aren’t new. But this time, they were caught on tape.
In a video posted to social media, a man claiming to be a federal agent supervisor is seen inside UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center arguing with hospital staff, asserting federal authority, and refusing to leave.
The apparent agent can be seen standing in front of a hospital bed where an unidentified woman is receiving medical care.
“If she’s in custody, they’re allowed to search her by law,” the man says, his badge dangling from a chain around his neck. “Nobody’s gonna take her out of this hospital.”
A nurse calmly pushes back, asking him to leave the patients side. But the man refuses: “You cannot kick us out of this hospital. We’re federal agents and she’s in custody.”
What follows is a tense back-and-forth that lays bare the power imbalance so many in immigrant communities feel when ICE shows up unannounced—in schools, courthouses, and now hospitals.
“Can the cops stay with her?” the nurse asks, trying to de-escalate.
“No. I have to stay with her. She’s in federal custody,” the man replies. “We’re not leaving.”
At one point, when the nurse requests his badge number, the man responds:
“We don’t have badge numbers.”
But that’s the thing—they do. Every federal agent, including those with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is issued an ID number. Whether or not they choose to disclose it is another matter. In this case, the refusal to cooperate appeared less about policy and more about power.
“Be more than happy to call the cops,” the man tells the nurse. “That’s fine. I’ll have that conversation with them, but we’re not leaving,” he adds.
Eventually, local law enforcement was called. According to hospital sources and local reports, the man was positively identified as a federal agent and provided officers with information he had refused to share with medical staff just minutes earlier.
The video has struck a nerve online, drawing condemnation from viewers who see the agent’s refusal to provide basic information as emblematic of a broader culture of secrecy and impunity.
The man in the video offers his own defense. “I understand a lot of people are not fans of ours,” he says at one point, “but we’re just doing our jobs.”
But there’s growing skepticism, especially in LA, about the agency’s tactics—and who exactly is being protected when federal agents show up with badges but no ID.
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