A man seen in a viral video being confronted and apprehended by Los Angeles residents, and who was eventually arrested by police with an alleged blowtorch, is an illegal immigrant from Mexico, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sources tell Fox News.
Los Angeles police took the man into custody after a group of local residents grabbed him near the Kenneth Fire, allegedly carrying a blowtorch, according to video from Fox 11 Los Angeles.
He is shown holding a torch head and a yellow fuel tank, before being tackled to the ground by at least five residents.
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Pedestrians help a firefighter stretch a hose as an apartment building burns, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in the Altadena section of Pasadena, California. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
ICE sources tell Fox that he is a Mexican illegal immigrant named Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva. He is in custody due to a probation violation and has not been charged with arson.
ICE intends to place a detainer request on him – a request that ICE be notified on any release so he can be transferred into their custody and potentially deported. However, they do not expect it to be honored as California is a “sanctuary” state that largely limits local and state law enforcement cooperation with the agency.
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A still image from home security video appears to show a Los Angeles man holding a torch head and fuel tank before residents tackled him and called police as wildfires rage across Southern California. Police said he was taken into custody but could not confirm he was connected to any fires. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)
A Los Angeles law enforcement source had previously told Fox News Digital that it’s not uncommon to find people have intentionally set wildfires.
“When you have wind conditions like this, it brings out the serial arsonists, who are sickos,” the source said. There is no confirmed connection between arson and any of the fires as of last week.
Illegal immigration has been a top political issue and the Trump administration is expected to launch a massive deportation operation once it takes office next week.
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Firefighters watch as water is dropped on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Some states have said they will cooperate with the operation, while other state and local officials say they will not, and could even actively resist those efforts.
Recently, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he wants to work with the incoming administration on deporting those who are violent criminals. But the Trump administration may have the hardest job in California, where there is not only a sanctuary state law in place but also efforts in local jurisdictions to go even further, forbidding ICE cooperation.
Fox News’ Michael Ruiz and Matt Finn contributed to this report.
