An anti-ICE activist in Southern California cried while livestreaming from her vehicle as federal agents moved in to detain her at an El Monte gas station. The woman, identified as Maria Santay, was surrounded by agents after authorities accused her of following and interfering with federal officers during immigration enforcement activity. The video quickly spread online, where critics mocked the activist for filming the encounter as agents smashed a car window and pulled her from the vehicle.
The confrontation happened on January 30th at a Chevron station near Peck Road and Valley Boulevard in El Monte, California. Santay, who has been described as a U.S. citizen and community observer, had been recording federal immigration activity in the Los Angeles area. The episode became another flashpoint in the fight between anti-ICE activists, local California officials, and federal immigration agents carrying out enforcement operations.
The video showed Santay seated inside her vehicle as masked federal agents surrounded the car. She appeared frightened as she spoke to her livestream audience, repeatedly saying that agents were going to break her window and arrest her. At one point, she cried out, “Lord, please protect me,” while warning viewers that she did not trust the agents standing outside the vehicle.
ABC7 reported that Santay streamed the encounter live on Instagram from the El Monte Chevron station around 2 p.m. local time. In the livestream, Santay said, “They’re breaking my window guys, I’m a U.S. citizen,” shortly before the glass shattered. She also said, “They’re going to try to arrest me,” while telling viewers that she could not believe what was happening.
Santay later told the outlet she believed the incident followed an earlier encounter with immigration agents near the 10 Freeway. She said agents had previously stopped her and that one person told her, “That’s your first warning.” Santay claimed she had been boxed in at the gas station while livestreaming and said El Monte police officers did not intervene as federal agents detained her.
The X account ImMeme0 posted the clip and described Santay as a leftist activist associated with “ICE Out Of LA.” The post said she had been warned two days earlier to stop obstructing federal operations and was later arrested after continuing to interfere with ICE activity. The clip showed the dramatic part of the encounter, with Santay crying on camera as the agents moved in.
Watch Santay cry on livestream as agents move in here:
"*" indicates required fields
NBC4 Los Angeles reported that the Department of Homeland Security accused Santay of “stalking enforcement throughout the day,” disobeying traffic signals, running red lights, and attempting to block agents’ vehicles. DHS also said Santay had received multiple warnings but refused to comply, which the agency said forced agents to extract her from the car.
According to NBC4, DHS said it issued Santay two violations: assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, and conspiracy to impede or injure officers. Santay’s cellphone video showed at least one agent trying to break the passenger-side window before the video went dark. Agents could then be heard ordering her to put her hands behind her back before taking her into custody.
El Monte police later said their officers responded after receiving a request from U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents for assistance with public safety. The local department said its officers were not participating in federal immigration enforcement and later released body camera footage showing the moments before federal agents broke the window. Police Chief Jake Fisher said once officers understood that federal agents were going to detain Santay, El Monte officers pulled back.
ABC7 later reported that body camera video showed an El Monte officer telling Santay that police had been called because federal agents said she was following them. The officer told her, “You can’t follow them,” and said local police did not want to get involved. The situation escalated after that, with federal agents using a hammer to shatter the window.
Santay was released hours after being detained, according to local reports. She later joined protests outside the El Monte Police Department, where activists criticized both the federal agents and local police. The incident also drew complaints at a city council meeting, with demonstrators demanding that El Monte do more to protect residents from federal immigration operations.
CBS Los Angeles reported that protesters filled a city council meeting after the video spread, demanding that local officials protect residents from federal agents. Santay told city officials she was not there only for herself and argued that federal agents were “taking away fathers” and “taking away moms.” City staff apologized to her and said El Monte residents deserved more, regardless of immigration status.
For critics of the anti-ICE movement, however, the viral clip told a different story. They saw an activist who had allegedly followed federal agents, ignored warnings, livestreamed the confrontation, and then cried when agents finally acted. The video turned Santay into another example of the growing clashes between federal immigration enforcement and the activists who try to track, record, and disrupt those operations in Democrat-run cities.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.