Man possibly posing as Border Patrol agent arrested in Huntington Park

The Huntington Park Police Department arrested a man this week who they suspect was trying to pose as a federal immigration agent and was in possession of an unlicensed handgun, copies of U.S. Homeland Security removal notices and a list of radio codes for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Huntington Park Police Chief Cosme Lozano said that the arrest occurred at 10 p.m. on June 24 in the 7000 block of S. Alameda Street, after police officers came across a silver Dodge Durango with tinted windows that was illegally parked in a handicap zone.

Fernando Diaz, 23, of Los Angeles was taken into custody that night, he said. Officers arrested Diaz after they learned he was carrying an unlicensed concealed weapon in the vehicle, Lozano said. They also learned he had an outstanding bench warrant related to a DUI case. Diaz has since been released on $5,000 bail, city officials said.

Diaz could not immediately be reached for comment.

Lozano provided details of the arrest during a Friday afternoon news conference at Huntington Park City Hall and included a large photo of Diaz and a table that displayed the items recovered from inside his vehicle, including radios, cell phones and more than a dozen U.S. Homeland Security notices from 2022 to “detain, remove or present alien.”

At least one document included a list of names with asterisks drawn next to them. Another list included about a dozen names next to room numbers and the words “present.”

Lozano said when officers came across the Dodge Durango, they noticed that the vehicle did not have a handicap placard and was missing a front license plate. When they got closer they could see the vehicle was equipped with red-and-blue visor lights, mounted radios resembling police equipment and a semi-automatic firearm magazine.

The officers initially believed the Durango was an unmarked police vehicle. But when they ran the license plate with a police dispatcher, they learned that it was registered to a resident in Los Angeles, not a law enforcement agency.

Lozano said as the officers were preparing to impound the vehicle, they were approached by Diaz who claimed to be the owner. Upon learning the vehicle was going to be impounded, he said, Diaz requested to retrieve the items inside the vehicle that he claimed belonged to a friend.

“When questioned by the officers about the police-like items inside the vehicle, the individual claimed he formerly worked as a security guard,” Cosme said.

It was around that time officers determined Diaz had an outstanding criminal arrest warrant for drunk driving and was taken into custody.

Inside the vehicle, the chief said, officers recovered three cell phones, handheld radios, copies of people’s passports and documents with the headings “Department of Homeland Security” and “U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”

“A sheet containing [CBP] radio codes, multiple copies of passports not registered to the individual’s name and other miscellaneous items indicative of criminal activity,” Lozano said. “When further questioned, the individual claimed he previously worked for [CBP]. However, he could provide no valid credentials to validate that.”

Lozano said Diaz told investigators he worked for CBP in 2022.

Police investigators are now trying to determine if the suspect was trying to pose as a federal immigration agent.

“Our concern is the criminal element of it and that it victimizes members of our community,” Lozano said. “The flip side of that is that people could also come to distrust the legitimacy of police they encounter, particularly undercover or specialized units that don’t operate in uniforms and marked vehicles.”

Spokespersons for the Department of Homeland Security and CBP did not respond to a request for comment.

According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, Diaz’s driver’s license was suspended multiple times in 2023 for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

It was suspended again on July 28, 2024, after he was involved in an auto accident and did not have insurance, DMV records show. The next day, he became the owner of a 2017 Dodge Durango. According to the DMV, his license is suspended.

Lozano said Diaz was also arrested for human trafficking in 2021 but did not have more details on the case.

The arrest comes amid growing concerns over the tactics of federal immigration agents who are often seen and recorded conducting immigration raids without identifying clothing or badges, sporting face coverings and armed with pistols. During a recent Senate committee hearing, U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi claimed she was unaware agents were hiding their faces with masks during immigration sweeps, but suggested it was for their protection.

Last week, two California lawmakers proposed a new state law to ban members of law enforcement from concealing their faces while on the job. The bill would make it a misdemeanor for local, state and federal law enforcement officers to cover their faces with some exceptions, and also encourage them to wear a form of identification on their uniform.

This week, state Senator Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) also introduced Senate Bill 805 known as the No Vigilantes Act which would require law enforcement officers operating in California to clearly display identification that features their names or badge numbers. It would also authorize law enforcement officers to request identification from someone claiming to be part of a law enforcement agency if there is reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, such as impersonating a peace officer or a valid safety concern.

It also prohibits bounty hunters from engaging in any form of immigration enforcement.

“In a normal world, this legislation would be unnecessary and unheard of. But these are extraordinary times and we must protect Californians from fear of police impersonation during these unprecedented times,” said Renée Pérez.

Standing behind a wooden podium during Friday’s news conference at Huntington Park, Mayor Arturo Flores said this week’s incident prompted the city council to approve a resolution that directs its police officers to verify the identity of people claiming to be federal immigration agents in the city.

“Let me be clear, Huntington Park is not attempting to obstruct legal federal operations,” he said. “What we’re saying is simple: If you’re acting with federal authority, then show it. Identify yourselves and do not hide behind unmarked vehicles, face masks and vague credentials.

“Local law enforcement has spent decades attempting to build trust between the community and law enforcement,” he added. “These actions by federal agencies only serve to erode that trust.”

Times staff writer Joseph Serna contributed to this report.