Residents of a tight-knit community in Los Angeles are rallying around a longtime cafe worker who witnesses say was detained by immigration agents while on the job.

Family members of 52-year-old Eloy Marin say they are doing everything legally possible to ensure his release after what they describe as a forceful detention outside Hojas Tea House in Wilmington on Tuesday morning.

Just after 10 a.m., Marin was taking out the trash behind the cafe when federal agents in a black SUV confronted him, according to witnesses.

Marin tried to run but didn’t get far. Employees rushed outside, pleading with agents to release him, but he was handcuffed and driven away.

As bystanders recorded the encounter, voices could be heard asking, “Where are you going to take him? To get fingerprints?”

“I cou

See Full Page