What Happened
On the morning of Jan. 9, 2026, federal agents conducted an immigration sweep across the Echo Park and Silver Lake neighborhoods of Los Angeles, detaining roughly a dozen people that day. Vela, 64, was among them. His goddaughter, Jenny Vargas, said he saw agents chasing two other men nearby, got scared, and ran — and he was the one they caught.
Video of the encounter shows several masked agents struggling to restrain him on the front steps of his home on Micheltorena Street, as he’s heard shouting the name of his partner of 30 years, Vivian Argueyo, before being taken away in an unmarked car.
Neighbors described Vela as a fixture in the community for decades, known for collecting recyclables and doing yard and handyman work. His family told local news that Vela had lived in the United States more than 40 years.. His family says Vela believed he had permanent resident status; a letter they later found showed he did not, something they say he didn’t understand.
A DHS spokesperson said the operation resulted in the arrest of “an illegal alien from El Salvador” who “will remain in ICE custody pending removal.” The statement didn’t address the family’s account that Vela wasn’t the operation’s original target.
