On March 31, Westminster resident and Salvadorian mother Elsy Berrios was forcefully detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers after being stopped on her way to work, an incident which has garnered significant attention following a video recording made by her daughter. Berrios, who was driving with her 18-year-old daughter Karen Cruz Berrios, was approached by ICE agents who demanded identification and refused to show a warrant when asked, leading to the agents breaking her car window and arresting her, WJLA reported.
Despite repeated requests to see an arrest warrant, Berrios was taken into custody without it being presented to her. The dramatic scene captured by Berrios’ daughter shows the mother steadfastly asking for the warrant, only to have her vehicle's window shattered and herself forcibly removed, WMAR 2 News reported. Karen described the incident, saying, "I felt very upset, and I was shocked, and I felt like a lot of emotions," as per her interview with the news outlet.
Anna Tijerina, Berrios's attorney, expressed her concerns about the legality of the arrest, as reported by WMAR 2 News, stating, "I still have not seen an arrest warrant. Our office has still not seen an arrest warrant," she said, "She's entitled to see an arrest warrant before she complies with the officer's order of stepping down, and she wasn't resisting the arrest. I am confident she would've stepped out of the car had she seen a warrant." Berrios has been seeking asylum in the U.S. due to fears for her safety in El Salvador. She holds an employee authorization document that has been valid for five years. The accusations of Berrios's alleged association with the MS-13 gang have been denied by her legal counsel, who stated that the Department of Homeland Security has failed to provide any proof of such claims.
Despite the confusion and lack of transparency regarding the charges, Berrios remains in ICE custody and faces a bond hearing scheduled for Monday. A statement from ICE claims that Berrios is a known MS-13 affiliate, an allegation that has come under question given the absence of evidence and Berrios' denial of such ties. WMAR 2 News reported that her attorney affirmed, "DHS has not provided us with any evidence to substantiate any of their allegations that our client is associated with MS-13. And our client Elsa denies any association and any affiliation to the MS-13." ICE has not disclosed the exact charges Berrios is facing.
