Two teenage boys in Riverside said Thursday that they were left to navigate life without their mother after she was detained by immigration officials last month.
Angela Garcia was on her way to work with her older son when she was ambushed by federal officials on July 6. The intense moment was caught on camera as masked officers surrounded the family and smashed through Garcia’s car window to make an arrest.
“They had no patience with her,” Alexander Fabian Garcia, the younger son, described the federal agents, adding that his mom had never had any legal problems. NBC Los Angeles also found no criminal history with Garcia.
The single mother has been in the country for over 25 years after moving from Mexico. She’d made a life for herself and her two boys by opening a beauty salon, which remains closed since her arrest.
“It’s been a big shock and more stress for us,” Alexander said. “It’s hard figuring out what we are going to do.”
Garcia, 41, was being held at the Adelanto Detention Center, according to her sons, as she is finding ways to help others while being detained.
“We just recently found out that she’s volunteering at the center, helping people get a haircut,” Sofia Spencer, her niece, said.
Alexander and his 18-year-old brother said they are trying to stay strong while trying to make sense of what happened to their beloved mother.
“I love her, and I don’t want her to be sad,” the teenager said, hoping to reassure their mom that he and his brother are safe. “I will keep pursuing my dreams and goals. I wish she could see me accomplish them.”
Garcia’s sons do not know what will happen to her beauty salon, which has been shuttered for a month.
NBC Los Angeles reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for details on Garcia’s arrest.
Garcia is scheduled to have a court appearance on Aug. 26.
Source: NBC Los Angeles
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