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 and a list of radio codes for U.S. Customs and Border Protection inside his vehicle.

Huntington Park police made the arrest late Tuesday at 7010 S. Alameda St., where officers came across a Dodge Durango parked in a handicap zone, according to city officials.

The officers took the man into custody after learning he was carrying an unlicensed concealed weapon in the vehicle. City officials also said the man had a bench warrant related to a DUI case. Police identified the man as Fernando Diaz, 23. He has since been released on $5,000 bail, city officials said.

A representative for Diaz could not immediately be reached for comment.

When he was arrested, Diaz’s vehicle did not have a handicap placard and was missing a front license plate, police said. The officers initially believed the Durango was an unmarked police vehicle.

But when officers ran the license plate through police dispatch, they learned that it was registered to a resident in Los Angeles, not a law enforcement agency.

As they were preparing to impound the vehicle, Diaz approached and claimed to be the owner, according to officials. Upon learning the vehicle was going to be impounded, he requested to retrieve the items inside the vehicle, police said.

“When questioned by the officers about the police-like items in the vehicle, the individual claim he formerly worked as a security guard,” said Huntington Park Police Chief Cosme Lozano.

The officers later determined the man had an outstanding criminal arrest warrant for drunk driving and was taken into custody.

Inside the vehicle, the chief said, officers also recovered three cell phones, handheld radios and documents with the headings “Homeland Security Investigations” 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.”

Police investigators are 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. But on the flip side of 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, the chief said.

City officials said the vehicle was equipped with police lights and several radios were mounted on the center console.

Diaz told investigators that he worked for CBP in 2022, but his current and past status with the agency could not be confirmed.

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

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.

Recently, Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores called the federal government’s presence in the region “political theater” meant to antagonize the Latino population.

Flores planned to introduce a motion to the City Council that will direct local police to ask federal agents to identify themselves if they attempt to carry out an immigration operation in the city.

“What happens if you have bad actors who decide to throw on an olive drab outfit and go around abducting people?” Flores told The Times last week. “I would not ask our officers to interfere with federal matters. But we have to be prepared to hold these agencies accountable for their actions. There’s a tragedy waiting to happen.”