SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - An activist known for tracking immigration enforcement activity ran onto the campus of a San Diego high school last week while being chased by federal agents — and video of the incident is now spreading online.
The footage appears to show Arturo Gonzalez, a local activist who posts about immigration enforcement activity on social media, being let through the gate at King-Chavez High School by the school's principal.
Gonzalez said he was in the area patrolling for ICE activity when he noticed federal agents monitoring the school's drop-off zone. He then confronted the agents before running onto campus.
"Hey can you let me in they're trying to grab me, they're trying to grab me," Gonzalez can be heard saying in the video.
School officials can also be heard on camera telling Gonzalez to back up before allowing him access.
Gonzalez said the principal was aware of why he was there.
"The principal knew why I was there, she knew I was there to protect families and that's why I asked her for permission and I know that's why she gave me permission to go on campus," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said his presence on campus was not intended to put anyone at risk.
"I wasn't trying to put children in danger I wasn't trying to put families in danger. The reason I was there in the first place was to protect families and to let the community know that ICE was in the neighborhood," Gonzalez said.
The incident has sparked outrage among some local lawmakers and raised questions about why the principal allowed Gonzalez through the gate. At most schools, only family members and approved contacts are permitted on campus for student safety.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement posted a statement on social media saying agents were "conducting targeted enforcement operations" and that a "known agitator with a long criminal history" tried to intervene and created a dangerous situation.
Gonzalez rejected those claims.
"Everything that they said, most of it is false I have never in my life assaulted anyone with a deadly weapon I do not know where they got that from," Gonzalez said.
ABC10 News found that Gonzalez does have 2 misdemeanor offenses, but was unable to verify some of the claims ICE is making.
We have reached out to ICE for comment, as well as the high school, and have not heard back.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
