Two men were arrested quickly and without explanation at the King & Story Target in San Jose last Sunday; personnel from the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) entered the premises exclusively to carry out the arrest.
Federal authorities arrived at the Target in white vehicles without any logo or signage alluding to the government, got out and entered the establishment to make the arrest; however, people who were there told television stations that the arrest had taken place at the Tropicana Foods establishment, which led to the circulation of false information.
In that sense, misinformation has generated economic losses in local establishments, said Aaron Ruelas Reséndez, a prominent leader and activist from San Jose, California, to Manuel Ortiz during the Península 360 Press radio program on Hecho en California, with Marcos Gutierrez.
Resendez said he has credible eyewitnesses from businesses around where the arrest took place; the two boys are of Colombian origin and worked at Target. The witnesses say that these two people were the only ones who came to the place.
“They did not bother other people in the audience, they were just coming for what they were coming for and they took these people away quickly,” explained Aaron Ruelas Reséndez.
After the incident, Ruelas received the news and immediately called someone at Tropicana Foods. When they began to contact and corroborate the facts, they realized that the misinformation had spread.
The owner of Tropicana expressed his displeasure, since it had not happened in his business; however, he was sure that it was in this place: “The first thing they say is, what happened in Tropicana? But this was on the other side of the street, so people stop going and that is why their sales have dropped by 30 percent,” said Ruelas.
Given the concern, a meeting was held in the community attended by about 25 people who have businesses in the area to discuss this issue. Another meeting will be held next Thursday with the people from the establishments to talk exclusively about this case and how to join forces to resist and prevent misinformation again.
The incident occurred at Target, but there has been misinformation saying that it happened at Tropicana. “We want them to say where the incident really happened,” Reséndez said.
On the other hand, the participation of the Sheriff and the councilors is worrying, since it has been publicly stated that they will not cooperate with immigration, however, they were present during the arrest, remaining in the back of the place.
"We cannot change the federal government, but we can change the local government and demand the necessary support," the activist concluded.
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