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Letters to the Editor: A high school student walking his dog is hardly ‘the worst of the worst’

A young man with dark hair, in a dark shirt, smiling.
Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, 18, was arrested by immigration officers while walking his dog in Van Nuys in August 2025.
(Rita Silva)

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To the editor: Shame upon shame. An 18-year-old high school student walking his dog is arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“An L.A. high school senior was walking his dog. Then immigration agents grabbed him,” Aug. 14). I thought President Trump was after arresting “the worst of the worst.” The 18-year-old arrested is Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz, who had overstayed his visa — hardly fitting Trump’s arrest profile. Overstaying a visa is not a criminal offense; it is a civil violation.

Second shame: The dog the student was walking was tied to a tree by ICE agents and then his collar was unclipped, allowing the, I imagine, scared animal to run loose on Sepulveda Boulevard, according to a GoFundMe page.

Really, Trump? What are you doing? I wonder what happened to both the student and the dog.

Hugo Pastore, Harbor City

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