An American, an Artist, a Friend - and Suddenly Gone

Los Angeles - We know Job Garcia. As a photographer. As a quiet chronicler of everyday life, as a thoughtful mind, as a friend. He was never someone who sought the spotlight. But when he raised his camera, what others overlooked became visible: dignity, pride, beauty - even in the dusty corners of this city. And that’s exactly what makes his arrest so unbearable. In broad daylight, between errands and a possible new shot, Job was arrested by ICE agents. Without apparent reason. Without warning. Without legal basis. He is a U.S. citizen. But these days, that is no longer enough. Skin color, an accent, or mere silence are enough to be taken away. To an unknown location. Into a system that doesn’t ask, but seizes.

Job wasn’t the only one. For days, Los Angeles has been turning into a laboratory of authoritarian severity. ICE, Border Patrol, DHS - they all march through neighborhoods like South Central, Boyle Heights, or Simi Valley. The images are all the same: men in balaclavas and bulletproof vests chasing people at bus stops, in parking lots, between fruit stands. In videos shared on social media, you can see a fruit vendor being thrown to the ground. A man being dragged out of his car on the freeway. A Walmart cashier crying as she’s led into a van. All of it under the cynical slogan of “liberating” the city - as Kristi Noem, Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security, phrased it during one of her appearances at a raid in Culver City. The reality looks different: parks are empty. Car washes and taquerías remain closed. People have withdrawn like at the beginning of the pandemic - out of fear, caution, survival instinct. On a Sunday when Griffith Park is usually packed, there is now silence. No grilling. No children. No music. Only rumors that ICE had been spotted at the zoo. False alarm. This time.

And in the middle of it all: all of us, trying to find out which facility he was taken to, contacting lawyers, calling politicians, writing emails. It’s this mix of fear and clarity that keeps you awake. The organization CLEAN reports that in just the last two weeks, 22 car washes have been targeted by ICE raids. The UndocuFund hotline recorded over 4,000 calls - in a single day. People report convoys from Simi Valley. Arrests in strawberry fields in Ventura County. Teens holding their graduation parties behind blacked-out windows - because outside, the wrong reality is waiting. And somewhere in the midst of all this is Job. Maybe in a cell. Maybe on a bus. We don’t know. But we know what we’ve seen: that this country, which speaks so much about freedom, is currently losing its voice. That a president who celebrates himself responds to protests with the National Guard - and to people who just want to live with handcuffs. Job Garcia is not just another face in this wave of state violence. He is one of us. And what is happening to him says more about this government than any tweet, any parade, any decree. Until this madness ends, we will fight, fight, fight - until it is possible again to walk through this city without fear, without mistrust, without knowing that it can happen to you at any time - even if you are American. Even if you did nothing wrong.