Francisco Longoria, a San Bernardino-based party supply business owner, was shot at by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents on August 16 during what he characterizes as an unlawful traffic stop. According to Longoria’s account, three unmarked vehicles stopped his truck as he was making a delivery, and masked agents approached with guns drawn without identifying themselves or presenting a warrant. When Longoria drove away after agents broke his window and struck him, one agent fired three rounds at the vehicle, creating two bullet holes in the passenger side.
Longoria reported the shooting to local police upon returning home, but was instead arrested after federal agents misreported the incident to local authorities. Community members gathered outside his home in a standoff with police when ICE attempted to arrest him without a warrant. On August 28, federal agents conducted a pre-dawn raid on his residence, arresting Longoria on a felony charge alleging he had used his vehicle as a weapon against officers. The charge was dropped on September 17, but Longoria remained in ICE detention at the Adelanto facility for three months total before his release in early December.
The family has filed a lawsuit against the federal government and involved officers, alleging the shooting violated Customs and Border Protection policy prohibiting agents from firing at moving vehicles unless they reasonably believe deadly force is being used against them. The lawsuit also contends officers violated a temporary restraining order prohibiting targeting people based on race, language, or type of work. Longoria’s attorneys argue the initial stop lacked legal justification and characterize the subsequent arrest as involving unnecessary force for someone with no criminal history.
Longoria continues to face immigration removal proceedings while wearing an ankle monitor. Advocates and the family’s legal team point to the case as part of a broader pattern, noting that according to tracking outlet Trace, ICE has opened fire on at least 30 people since the Trump administration took office. The family’s attorneys have called for California’s attorney general to open a criminal investigation into the incident.
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