The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) denied allegations a Los Angeles mother was abducted by bounty hunters at gunpoint for immigration, calling it a “hoax.”
Reports claimed Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon was abducted by armed men while on her way to work; bounty hunters aiding in immigration enforcement, per the New York Post:
Calderon managed to make two calls to family members, they said, and described being driven to a border station and turned over to ICE officials, who demanded she sign self-deportation paperwork and leave the country.
When she refused, they locked her in a warehouse “holding men and women together, without a law enforcement employee or official present,” Medina said.
Calderon allegedly said some people had spent months in the warehouse, refusing to self-deport.
The DHS called the story a hoax after outlets like KTLA and the Los Angeles Times reported it as true.
“This bizarre tale about being picked up by bounty hunters, taken to an unmarked warehouse without access to food, water, or an attorney were clearly fabricated,” the department wrote on X Tuesday. “This woman was never arrested or ‘kidnapped’ by ICE.”
The DHS said it neither employs nor partners with private bounty hunters and said the Los Angeles Times fell for a “hoax.”
“Lazy reporting like this is why trust in the media is at an all-time low. This type of fear mongering and demonizes our law enforcement who are now facing a nearly 700% in assaults against them,” said DHS.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
