On October 21, ICE agents attacked and injured a Santa Maria High School student while walking to school. Speaker Rivas and the Latino Caucus leaders have previously condemned Trump’s escalated ICE arrests and voter-suppression actions in California on the eve of the election.
October 28, 2026 - Speaker Robert Rivas and Assembly leaders are condemning Trump and ICE agents for the violent assault on a young student with special needs in California.
Related: House Oversight Ranking Member Robert Garcia Demands Answers from ICE After Brutal Attack on U.S. Citizen in Long Beach
On October 21, ICE agents attacked and injured Santa Maria High School student Erik Zepeda — a U.S. citizen — while walking to school. Erik, 20, is 
enrolled in an educational program for young adults with disabilities.
ICE Recruitment graphic
According to public officials, ICE agents tackled and detained Erik several blocks from his school, restrained him in their vehicle, and drove around the neighborhood. After determining there was no basis for arrest, the agents dropped him off at a random location and fled.
After the attack, Erik made his way to Santa Maria High School, where educators immediately called an ambulance to take him to the hospital. Officials say Erik suffered a broken wrist that required surgery, as well as a black eye, bruises, and lacerations. Beyond his physical injuries, he endured the trauma of being forcibly detained by ICE agents on his way to class.
“Erik is a U.S. citizen who was simply walking to school, and ICE agents broke his wrist. This is not immigration enforcement or public safety. It’s reckless, indiscriminate violence, and it’s indefensible,” Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas said. “Our Assembly will continue to hold the Trump administration and ICE accountable.”
“The Trump Administration’s masked secret police have hit a new low — harming a young man with special needs who was on his way to school. The Trump Administration must hear us when we say: Our community stands with Erik and rejects the lawless, dangerous enforcement campaign that put Erik in harm’s way. The case of Erik, a California-born American citizen, is a startling reminder of the disregard for the rule of law and common decency that we are seeing from the agents deployed on our streets. This cannot continue,” said Assemblymember Gregg Hart, who represents Santa Maria.
“I condemn this disgusting, racially motivated attack by ICE on one of our students,” said Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, incoming Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus. “School officials and families are rightly concerned because every time ICE lies and tells the public it was a case of a mistaken identity, someone innocent is always harmed, and no one is held accountable for these attacks. This special-needs student, with limited speech capabilities, has no immediate family based on news reports, to comfort them through this. Would any of you want your own children to go through this kind of traumatic experience alone? Of course not.”
“Californians keep living in fear because of ICE’s lawless violence. Shame on ICE and the companies raking in billions from attacking our communities, including a disabled US citizen in Santa Maria on their way to school,” said Latino Caucus vice-chair Assemblymember Liz Ortega.
Speaker Rivas and the Latino Caucus leaders have previously condemned Trump’s escalated ICE arrests and voter-suppression actions in California.
On Saturday evening, community members gathered for a rally to condemn Erik’s detention and the violent tactics by ICE agents that resulted in his injuries. A representative from Assemblymember Hart’s office spoke at the rally, alongside local officials and nonprofit partners.
The California State Legislature has delivered dozens of new laws this year to hold ICE accountable and protect Californians from the Trump administration reckless immigration policies.
Source: Speaker of the Assembly, Robert Rivas
