The Guatemalan Francisco Urizar, 64 years old, was detained on June 17 by agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while he was making a delivery as a tortilla vendor at a store in Pico Rivera, California, according to a report by Univisión.
After his arrest, Urizar was missing for several days, with his family having no news of his whereabouts, until his daughter, Nancy Urizar, was able to speak briefly with him and confirm that he is detained at the ICE Processing Center in Adelanto, California.
Urizar has been living in the United States for 35 years, and his family has sought legal assistance and support from non-governmental organizations to prevent his deportation to Guatemala, the country he emigrated from over three decades ago to escape the guerrilla. His legal status is unknown, and it is unclear whether he had a prior arrest warrant against him or if he was arrested due to his physical appearance.
The case has made headlines thanks to recordings made by witnesses who observed the arrest of Urizar in front of the 'Food 4 less' store in Pico Rivera, Los Angeles, where he was about to deliver an order of tortillas. It was through these witnesses that the images shared on social media came to light. The company for which Francisco Urizar worked was able to identify him through the videos. His daughter has requested assistance in spreading the word about what happened.
Since President Donald Trump's return to the White House in January 2025, the detentions and deportations of immigrants with prior deportation orders (I-220B) and criminal records against them have intensified. This also includes those who entered the United States legally with humanitarian parole or with an I-220A. Even these individuals are arrested upon leaving the Court after their asylum cases are closed.
Anti-immigrant raids have predominantly occurred in Democratic states. In Los Angeles (California), the protests have been massive and have even forced authorities to impose a curfew.
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