SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Video of a distraught woman being arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in a Mission Valley hotel parking lot has circulated on social media, drawing the ire of immigrant advocates.
It happened early Thursday morning in a Hotel Circle parking lot. The video shows a woman screaming while in handcuffs. Two men are seen making the arrest.
"I tried to calm my coworker because hearing her screams was terrible for me at that moment," says one woman who witnessed the incident and asked to remain anonymous.
She also says the men never showed any ID or identified themselves to them.
"Since they looked like normal people—no uniforms, no badges—I asked them, 'Do you have a warrant? Why are you taking her?' And all they said was, “Don’t interfere, don’t interfere.”
They eventually walked her away as she continued to scream for help. The arrest has drawn backlash from immigrant advocates, who say this type of worker shouldn't be targeted.
"She’s very shaken by all this. She hasn’t stopped crying. She’s a great person," the witness told me. "We’re all human beings, we’re people—and she didn’t deserve this, nobody does."
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security told ABC 10News, Brenda Iris Valencia was arrested at the Handlery Hotel for being present in the U.S. after entry without inspection. ICE confirmed that special agents from its Homeland Security Investigations division and officers from Customs and Border Protection responded to make the arrest.
"She was given a notice to appear at immigration court and released with an ankle monitor "due to childcare issues," according to ICE.
The witness tells me it remains unclear if Valencia will return to work.
The San Diego Police Department posted about the incident on X, stating that members of a Federal Maritime Task Force under the Department of Homeland Security carried out the arrest. SDPD emphasized that the department is not a member of the task force and was not involved in the arrest in any way.
This arrest was conducted by members of a Federal Maritime Task Force operating under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The San Diego Police Department is NOT a member of this task force and was NOT involved in this incident in any way.
— San Diego Police Department (@SanDiegoPD) June 27, 2025
When asked if she or other people at the hotel were now afraid, the woman told me they shouldn't be.
"We are a community, and the only 'wrong' thing we're doing is trying to work and move forward."
This is a developing story. ABC 10News has assigned a reporter to gather more information.
