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Dozens of agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surrounded a bakery in Lake Worth Beach, Florida on Thursday afternoon and arrested its owner, Jacob Zapeta Castro, a Guatemalan citizen who locked his business to prevent the agents from detaining his employees, according to reported Telemundo.
According to witnesses and family members, Zapeta Castro was on his way to a medical appointment when he noticed that agents were following him.
He immediately ran to his establishment, "El Quetzal Panadería y Cafetería," and locked the door to protect the 10 employees inside.
At the scene, about 40 agents and more than 20 patrol cars arrived, accompanied by dogs, completely surrounding the business. More than forty people witnessed the operation from the street.
«They completely surrounded us, they brought dogs; it was shocking and scared everyone,» said Gilmer Zapeta, the son of the detainee, according to a report by Univision.
Negotiations lasted for approximately four hours. According to Gilmer's testimony, the agents conveyed an ultimatum to his father: "If the one who closed the door and prevented the operation comes out, we will not take anyone from here, but if he does not come out, we will enter and take all the workers."
Faced with that threat, Zapeta Castro opened the door and surrendered with his hands raised.
His wife, Gloria López, reported that upon arriving at the scene, she found her 13 and 14-year-old children—both United States citizens—with their hands raised, and that the agents threatened to take them as well.
"It was terrible for me; I only thought about my kids, I only thought about my children, the people I've had working for many years, who are working with me serving the Hispanic community," she stated.
Mariana Blanco, director of the Guatemalan Maya Center, stated that they attempted to inform the agents that Zapeta Castro had a valid work permit and license.
"He is an incredible person; everyone who knows him personally can say the same. He is not the person that ICE is describing," she stated.
Juana, an employee at the bakery for several years, described him in similar terms: "I feel very sad, very sorry for the boss; the truth is that he is a good person, he is not a criminal. He is a true hero, and it's not fair that they took him like that."
ICE described Zapeta Castro as an undocumented individual with four prior deportations and charges him with illegal reentry, multiple arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol, hit and run, and resisting authority.
The agency also alleges that he tried to ram the agents with his vehicle before barricading himself in the business.
However, according to a fact-check by Spectrum Noticias, criminal records show that in 2003 and 2004 he was convicted of a misdemeanor for driving without a valid license, and in 2011 he received a conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without a license, and failing to appear in court.
Searches in St. Lucie, Palm Beach, and Broward counties did not yield any additional records.
The operation takes place within the framework of the intensification of the ICE raids on businesses in Florida, driven by the agreements between Governor Ron DeSantis and the federal agency that allow the state's Highway Patrol to carry out delegated immigration functions.
ICE did not disclose where Zapeta Castro was transferred after his detention. His family demands his release, while from outside the business, during the operation, a voice among the witnesses captured the sentiment of the community: "Tell him he's not alone, we're all behind him and we are his community."
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