‘See corpses, chase corpses.’ What immigration agents’ body cameras, documents reveal about the LA attack

Little was known about how immigration enforcement operations were coordinated in Los Angeles last year.

But that changed this week when hundreds of pages of court exhibits — released as discovery in the federal case — offered glimpses of the operation.

They pointed to random, rather than targeted, stops, the frequent use of racial slurs, and apparent frustration among several officers who feared they were being asked to break the law.

The exhibits are included in a lawsuit filed Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Public Counsel, and other groups and private attorneys seeking to block “the ongoing campaign to stop suspicionless and discriminatory traffic stops” in the Central District of California.

Among the newly released records is the testimony of a Border Patrol agent who explained how the police chose the location where the Whittier car wash was raided on June 18. According to the agent, the team searched on Google for nearby car washes and the Whittier business was chosen because “that was one of the places that came up on the list as a nearby location.”

Next month, when dozens of Border Patrol agents appeared outside a news conference held by leading California Democrats – including Gov. Gavin Newsom – a Homeland Security Investigations agent wrote to another HSI agent that the operation was “political” and “difficult.”

A Homeland Security spokesman said at the time that agents were “focused on enforcing the law, not [Newsom].”

But the agent saw it differently, noting that the Border Patrol “invaded Newsom’s press conferences.”

“We were kicked out [Home Depot] and car washing to continue this project,” said the agent.

“That was a political agenda,” the agent said. “I hope I can be replaced soon.”

The filing also included body camera footage and text messages that captured unusual images of other immigration agents discussing jobs, including using slurs against immigrants.

In a series of documents from June 2025, the agent said they were driving near Huntington Park where the roads were “littered with potential objects” – referring to the possible target.

In another operation that month, agents discussed threats against 31 people.

“Damn goods— gentlemen,” replied the agent.

Texts and body camera footage revealed agents referring to what could be interpreted as “wet,” a derogatory term for Latino immigrants, and “tonk,” a term reportedly derived from the sound an agent’s flashlight makes when it hits an immigrant on the head.

When asked about the insults, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said that “agents are focused on protecting the American people—not inciting outrage.

Here are some key revelations contained in newly released court filings about how the “Operation at Large” immigration crackdown in Los Angeles was organized last year.

‘They only know one way to work’

In an August 2025 text message, two HSI agents texted ‘Newsom’ complaining about each other being asked to perform immigration duties they felt violated the law. federal court order.

Last month a federal court judge issued a temporary restraining order barring agents from using racial profiling to indiscriminately arrest people in Southern California. The decision was intended to stop agents from targeting Home Depots and car washes and arresting brown-skinned, Spanish-speaking day laborers.

“I complained about the Home Depot items saying I thought they violated the TRO,” a male HSI agent wrote on Aug. 11, 2025, regarding a temporary restraining order.

“Yes I’m sure it does,” replied the female HSI agent.

When asked in court about these documents, the male agent said that he complained to HSI management after the raid at Aug. 3 Home Depot in Paramount, which it feels has violated the judge’s order.

In this August 2025 text thread, the female agent wrote that she was happy that she had recently purchased professional liability insurance, which covers legal claims arising from errors or negligence, to which the male agent replied, “Sure. However we shouldn’t ask us to do anything that violates a court order.”

The female agent expressed doubt that DHS would meaningfully change its enforcement tactics in response to the order.

“I think they only know one way to work,” he wrote. “See the bodies, chase the bodies.”

Agents are discussing concerns that immigration operations in Los Angeles are violating a court order.

(US District Court for the Central District of California)

In his letter, the male agent explained that this is how Customs and Border Patrol agents operate during immigration detention in Los Angeles.

“The presence of the Border Patrol will cause people to want to leave their place,” he said. “Then [agents are] you will see people running, and they will chase them whether they are intended or not. “

He said, over time, it seemed that the performance had gradually decreased until the August 14 performance at Newsom’s press conference, which had no intentions at all.

“They marched to the press conference of the democratic governor. It seemed like there was only politics,” he said in his speech. “There seemed to be no good basis for doing that.”

He described the press conference performance as the final frame that made him want to be removed from Operation at Large. He has worked in law enforcement since 2008 and said in court that the “total violence” with which the Border Patrol carried out the attack on Los Angeles in 2025 seems “as bad as a big city.”

Baseball cards

Earlier this year, civil rights advocates fired two ICE officials and found that the agency had changed its way of conducting law enforcement programs to detain people.

Testimony of Eusebio Ortiz, who was involved in a shooting incident in Ontario in October, and Carey Crook, revealed that ICE removed documents detailing the operation of “baseball cards.” The one-page documents, generated by a software program, have replaced the meticulously researched files traditionally created by federal immigration agents.

According to court documents, ICE has previously relied on documents — known as “target folders” — to arrest targeted individuals. These files include a person’s background information, criminal and immigration history, surveillance notes, mailing lists, known addresses, employment and driving records and other identifying information.

Target folders ensured that agents caught the right person. But under Trump, court documents say, immigration officials have increasingly relied on the use of so-called baseball cards, which include a photo and a summary of a person’s background.

Civil rights lawyers alleged in a recent lawsuit that baseball cards increase the likelihood that agents will track down and arrest people who are not their intended targets.

Ontario Shooting

The May deposition of Ortiz, the ICE deportation officer, revealed more details about the shooting that took place in Ontario in October. According to the report, Ortiz was undergoing surgery when he shot Carlos Jimenez, who testified that he put his car in reverse and approached the police.

Jimenez was later charged with assault on a public official with a deadly or dangerous weapon. He pleaded not guilty. Lawyers representing Jimenez say he was trying to leave.

They said Jimenez stopped to warn agents that a group of school children would be arriving soon. Jimenez put his car in reverse because he was afraid, they argued, and was shot needlessly behind his right shoulder, where the bullet remained.

After the shooting, Ortiz said he was out on workers’ compensation for three weeks. Asked if he was injured in the incident, Ortiz replied, “He was injured physically, no, but emotionally, yes.” He said later he returned to work.

Ortiz testified that he was not disciplined after the shooting, that he did not receive additional training as a result of the incident, and that his job did not change.

‘American Culture’

The inclusion of newly released court records also provided insight into what motivated agents to confront a potential target for arrest.

In a deposition in February 2026, an acting deputy chief of the Border Patrol, identified only by the initials GL, testified about “culturally different” behavior that would lead an agent to suspect a person is in the country illegally.

Suspicion may arise”[i]f they were meeting with someone and you discussed and agreed and that person does not look in the eyes or turn their back to the agent or something that is different from the American culture where eye contact is normal,” said the agent.

An acting Border Patrol agent testified that he didn’t make eye contact like being told someone was “culturally different.”

(US District Court for the Central District of California)

Referring to the agent who said the person “yelling in Spanish” raised his suspicions again, GL testified that “usually when someone yells at an engagement like this, they go to their native language, which in the United States is usually English.”

In another statement, an unnamed Customs and Border Patrol agent stated that a panicked appearance, looking left and right, trembling hands and a trembling voice when answering the agents are “indicators” that the person may be in the country illegally.

TikTok facial recognition

In a July 2025 text thread, the agent pondered whether facial recognition tools could be used to identify people on TikTok who have admitted to being in the country illegally.

“Is this b- good enough to fix the face?” asked the agent, after posting a profile picture. “You comment in a non-criminal way and you work hard lmao.”

The guard said they would try and immediately replied after that “no match.”

“Maths,” replied the agent. “Some of these people are stupid, why would you post on social media that you are wet?”

In another thread, the agent tagged “tons everywhere selling 4th party food on the deep sea right now.”