“They Racked the AR-15 Right in Front of Me”: American Recounts Harrowing Encounter with Armed ICE Agents

By Nick Valencia

June 13, 2025

An American man born and raised in East LA was detained by ICE agents in a chilling incident caught on video, underscoring the growing concerns about the aggressive tactics of law enforcement and immigration agents.

“I was scared for my life, bro,” the man who asked to be identified as Brian told me.

Initially, “Brian” said he did not believe that the men were ICE agents, describing to journalist Nick Valencia that the badges appeared to be “flimsy.” They moved more like a gang than federal agents, he added

“Imagine having a bunch of ICE, masks, you know, not identifying themselves. You don’t know who they are. You don’t even know if they’re real ICE.”

“The whole time I was just worried about getting my phone back because I wanted to record the injustice that I was living,” he said. “They didn’t want to give me back my phone. So I pled with them like 15 minutes—a whole commotion. I’m here trying to get my phone.”

The situation took a darker turn when armed agents began posturing with high-powered weapons.

“They racked the chamber into their AR-15. And then looked at me—I saw it. I saw him rack the AR-15,” he said.

Brian’s words echoed something I’ve heard from others in communities targeted by enforcement raids—something both terrifying and deeply familiar.

“What I went through is like what a bunch of people worry about—just being brown, walking around.”

“All these people say this stuff and they’re called crazy. Like, ‘You were born here, don’t worry.’ But like—it happened.”

For all his fear and frustration, Brian said he still expressed an unshaken love for the country. “I’m all-America here, man. I love this shit, bro. I love America.”

But that love is clearly tested by experiences like the one he lived through.