Police tape blocks off the crime scene outside a church where a man shot dead four people, including three of his children, before turning the gun on himself, February 28, 2022 in Sacramento, California. A father shot dead three of his own children on February 28 before turning the gun on himself in a US church, police said. A fifth person also died in the shooting in Sacramento, California, though it was not clear if that person was related to what police said was a domestic incident. (Photo by Andri Tambunan / AFP) (Photo by ANDRI TAMBUNAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Huntington Park, California – A troubling arrest in Huntington Park this week has underscored growing fears in Southern California over how immigration enforcement is being carried out — and who is actually behind the badge.
On Tuesday night, Huntington Park police arrested Fernando Diaz, 24, after discovering him in possession of a loaded 9mm handgun, multiple fake or suspicious passports, three handheld radios wired into his SUV, and documents bearing the names of Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Díaz also had law-enforcement-style red and blue lights hidden in the visors of the unmarked Dodge Durango he was driving.
Police Chief Cosme Lozano told reporters Friday that Diaz could not produce legitimate credentials to support his claim of having worked with Customs and Border Protection. Officers found him after they noticed his SUV, which was illegally parked in a handicapped space on South Alameda Street. A check of the vehicle revealed it was privately registered, not to any law enforcement agency.
What Diaz intended to do with the radios, the fake IDs, and the firearm remains under investigation, Lozano said. Authorities ultimately arrested Diaz on an outstanding DUI warrant. He also has a previous arrest tied to human smuggling, though no conviction.
The case has rattled city officials and residents already on edge over recent reports of masked immigration agents in unmarked vehicles carrying out raids across Los Angeles. Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores framed the incident as a grim symptom of a climate of fear and mistrust.
“When people cannot trust who is enforcing the law, public safety is undermined and fear begins to take hold,” Flores said. “We cannot allow bad actors — whether they are rogue individuals or unauthorized impersonators — to intimidate and exploit our community.”
On Wednesday, the Huntington Park City Council passed a resolution requiring local police to verify the identity of anyone claiming to be a federal immigration agent operating in the city. Flores emphasized the city is not trying to block legitimate federal enforcement but is determined to protect residents from intimidation.
“Let me be clear,” he said. “If you are acting with federal authority, then show it. Do not hide behind unmarked vehicles and face masks.”
Meanwhile, state lawmakers are considering the “No Vigilantes Act,” legislation that would require all law enforcement personnel to display clear identification, including badge numbers or names, and bar bounty hunters from participating in any immigration enforcement.
Mayor Karen Bass, speaking in Los Angeles last week, also voiced concern about the growing fear triggered by unmarked immigration sweeps. “Who are these people?” she asked, pointing to the risks of intimidation and confusion when immigration enforcement officers refuse to correctly identify themselves.
For now, Huntington Park officials say their investigation into Diaz’s case is ongoing, even as their community continues to grapple with the question of whom to trust—and how to distinguish between lawful enforcement and dangerous impersonation.
