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In the heart of El Monte, California, a dramatic and unsettling scene unfolded as a Southern California woman found herself in the grip of federal immigration authorities. Maria Santay, who identifies as a U.S. citizen and community observer, was detained on Friday—an event she later described as both frightening and traumatic.
Santay, who has previously had encounters with immigration agents, believes her role as a community observer has made her a target. This latest incident took place at a Chevron station located at the intersection of Peck Road and Valley Boulevard, where Santay livestreamed the encounter on Instagram around 2 p.m. local time. In the video, agents can be seen surrounding her vehicle, ultimately smashing her car window with a hammer as she pleaded for help.
During the livestream, Santay could be heard exclaiming, “They’re breaking my window guys, I’m a U.S. citizen. Insane. This guy is breaking my window guys.” Her voice carried a mix of disbelief and desperation as the glass finally gave way under the forceful blow.
Amidst the chaos, Santay’s voice trembled with emotion as she said, “They’re going to try to arrest me. This is insane. I can’t believe this is happening guys. Lord, please protect me, Lord, please. Guys, I don’t trust them.” Her words painted a vivid picture of the fear and uncertainty she faced during those tense moments.
“They’re going to try to arrest me,” she said, holding back tears. “This is insane. I can’t believe this is happening guys. Lord, please protect me, Lord, please. Guys, I don’t trust them.”
Santay said she feared for her life during the encounter.
“I thought, ‘This is it. These are my last moments,’” she recalled.
According to Santay, the confrontation followed what she believes was an intimidation encounter with immigration agents two days earlier, when officers stopped her car near the 10 Freeway.
Video she recorded at the time captured someone telling her, “That’s your first warning.”
“Turns out, they weren’t stopping me, they were just intimidating me,” Santay said.
On Friday, Santay said agents boxed in her car at the gas station as she was livestreaming.
“One of the officers got on the curb on the middle island to box my car in, one came on here, and one was behind me. Because of all the commotion, the police department got there,” she said.
El Monte police officers did not intervene as federal agents detained her.
“They threw me in their car, we got on the 10 Freeway, they took me all the way on a joy ride to Santa Ana, and then they get off on an exit,” she said.
By 5 p.m., Santay, whose charges include resisting arrest, was released. Her experience worsened when she said El Monte police refused to let her use the restroom.
“They made me pee in the parking lot, in some bushes, behind the horse carriers, with handcuffs on,” she said.
In a statement, the El Monte Police Department said officers responded to a call from Customs and Border Protection to support public safety, but that their officers “were not involved in the federal operation.”
Later Friday night, protesters gathered outside the police station, ringing cowbells and honking horns. Santay joined the demonstration despite her earlier ordeal.
“I prefer that they were taking their time, taking me on a joyride with BS charges, than picking up innocent people that they could have hurt on the street, so I thank them for that. I said ‘Thank you, thank you.’ I thanked them for not killing me, too,” she said.
Our sister station, ABC7 Eyewitness News in Los Angeles, reached out to Customs and Border Protection for comment on Santay’s arrest, but has yet to hear back.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help raise money for Santay as she prepares for a legal defense and makes repairs to her vehicle.
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