Christmas is supposed to be a time for warmth, family, and a brief pause from fear. For many families, it is meant to be a day of safety and togetherness. Sadly, in Corona, California, that sense of peace was shattered when ICE once again showed that the holiday offered no pause to their enforcement actions. On Christmas Day, ICE agents in Corona targeted a family while they were driving. According to multiple videos shared online, two ICE vehicles boxed the family’s car in, forcing it to stop. The sudden move left little room for confusion about what was happening. As the car came to a halt, the children inside quickly got out, phones raised, recording what they believed was about to happen to their family.
One female ICE agent ordered the teenagers back into the car. The girls refused, clearly stating that they did not want to be touched. Despite this, ICE agents moved in anyway. The teens were physically handled, pushed down, and forced to sit on the ground. To make matters worse, they were handcuffed, treated as if they were criminals rather than frightened children watching their father being taken away.
As the situation escalated, the female ICE agent reportedly grabbed one of the teenager’s phones, apparently unhappy that her actions were being recorded. The phone was damaged in the process. Fortunately, another nearby witness began recording as well, ensuring the incident did not go undocumented. In those videos, one ICE agent can be seen standing over the handcuffed teen while other agents arrest the father just a short distance away.
While the two teenage girls were eventually released and had their handcuffs removed, the damage had already been done. Being restrained, surrounded by ICE agents, and forced to watch their parent taken away is not something that simply fades once the cuffs come off. For children, especially on Christmas, the trauma can linger far longer than the incident itself.
Online reaction was swift and furious. Many viewers were outraged by how ICE handled the situation in Corona, questioning why children needed to be restrained at all. Breaking a child’s phone simply for recording and handcuffing teens who posed no threat struck many as excessive and cruel. Commenters across social media condemned the behavior, particularly calling out the female ICE agent, who appeared noticeably aggressive toward the girls.
Some users pointed out that while several ICE agents covered their faces, the female agent did not, sparking further anger. “She’ll regret not wearing a mask when everyone finds out what she does for a living. Shameful,” one commenter wrote. Others went further, expressing a desire for accountability and consequences, though those reactions also raised concerns about escalating harassment.
