"Angelica Vargas was driving to get coffee near her home in Downey, California, when she saw a disturbing, yet now-familiar sight: Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents running down the street, arresting a man who was painting a gas station. Immediately, Vargas moved to action: She pulled over and confronted the officers, using the firm, calm tone she's learned is effective in situations like these."
""Of course, they got a little bit defensive. But then I started recording for evidence. And I reminded the guy he had rights. I kind of gave the officers a rough time," Vargas said in a phone interview. Her initial plan was only to assist the detainee and document the officers. But then, seemingly in retaliation, some ICE vehicles remained behind to "box in" Vargas's car, preventing her from leaving."
"For Vargas, a Mercedes-driving self-described "soccer mom," that was the start of a new extracurricular: chasing ICE vehicles on the road, and posting the videos on TikTok. Now Vargas is known to her hundreds of thousands of followers-and the tens of millions of people who have watched her content-for her videos with cheeky titles like "Spending Quality Time With ICE.""
Angelica Vargas witnessed ICE agents arresting a man near her Downey home and intervened by confronting and recording the officers. She reminded the detainee of his rights and tried to document the encounter. After ICE vehicles boxed in her car, she pursued them when they left and later posted time-lapse chase videos on TikTok. The videos show ICE vehicles weaving lanes and making illegal U-turns to avoid pursuit, set to jaunty Mexican music and cheeky captions. The content has drawn hundreds of thousands of followers and tens of millions of views, framing the chases as exhilarating for many viewers.
Read at The Nation
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