Watch CBS News

Woman's Immigration Arrest Near San Diego Draws Criticism

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Video of a woman being pulled away from her weeping daughters on a California street and shoved into a U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicle has sparked criticism of the way federal agents are enforcing immigration laws.

The Border Patrol says Perla Morales-Luna was identified as an organizer for a transnational criminal smuggling organization and was arrested for being in the country illegally.

The arrest March 3 in National City, a community south of San Diego, was described as "grotesque" by Benjamin Prado, coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee's San Diego U.S.-Mexico Border Program.

Prado tells the Los Angeles Times that he's concerned about the "terror" the woman's daughters suffered.

An attorney for Morales-Luna did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.