US citizen pursued by ICE in New Orleans claims she was singled out because of her race

A U.S. citizen captured on home security footage being chased by masked federal agents near New Orleans has expressed concern that she was singled out because of her skin color. Jacelynn Guzman told WWL Louisiana, a reporting partner of the Guardian, that she suspects the agents targeted her simply because Im brown.

I have no idea why they targeted me, Guzman said the day after the footage went viral. It makes me scared for my family. Its devastating.

In response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) clarified that Guzman resembled a person sought by border patrol in connection with a deportation order. DHS confirmed that after realizing she was not the intended target, agents left without making any arrests.

Despite the clarification, the incident has drawn attention to the methods used by immigration officials in Louisiana, who are conducting an operation aimed at making 5,000 arrests in the coming weeks.

The 22-year-old Guzman recounted that she was returning home in Marrero, Louisiana, when an SUV stopped near her and additional unmarked vehicles arrived. Men wearing tactical gear and masks exited the vehicles, prompting her to flee toward her front door, all captured on a security camera.

Leave me alone! Guzman shouted in the video, as one masked man pursued her while two others followed more slowly. Guzman, who is Hispanic, emphasized she has no criminal record and told the agents, I was born and raised here. Im a US citizen.

The Trump administration stated that the operation targeted violent offenders residing illegally in the U.S., though DHS later noted that the individual Guzman was mistaken for had previous charges for theft and possession of stolen property, not violent crimes under Louisiana law.

DHS added that agents identified themselves during the encounter and left once they realized Guzman was not the person they sought. Guzmans stepfather confronted the agents on his property, captured in the security video as he said, Hispanic people against Hispanic people, bro!

Guzman expressed concern that the pursuit reflects racial profiling of people of color, calling the practice wrong. By the time she spoke with WWL, dozens of people had been arrested in the immigration sweep, heightening fear within the local immigrant community. Government data indicates that most people in U.S. immigration detention have no criminal record.

Author: Ethan Caldwell