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February 2, 2026 / 12:53 PM PST / CBS LA
Leadership at a Methodist church in Los Angeles is accusing federal immigration enforcement agents of arresting a man during a food ministry event in its parking lot last Thursday.
During a news conference on Monday, church officials at the North Hills United Methodist Church Hispanic Mission in the San Fernando Valley accused agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement of entering the event while heavily armed and arresting a church member.
Pastor Ervin Aguilon claims the arrest occurred in the presence of children and many other churchgoers as they fed the community during the food ministry. He identified the arrested man as "beloved" community member Carlos Chavez.
The food ministry was forced to end early after the two agents arrived to apprehend Chavez, Aguilon said. Event attendees sheltered in place for four hours after the agents arrived.
Cellphone footage provided by the North Hills United Methodist Church showed armed agents who appeared to be performing an immigration enforcement operation chasing and eventually apprehending Chavez in the parking lot.
"For me, that is not just a parking lot," Aguilon said. "They did not enter through a parking lot, they entered a ground that I believe is holy."
CBS LA has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border and Customs Protection and ICE for comment; however, at the time of publishing, we have not received a response. This story will be updated accordingly.
Rev. Dr. Dottie Escobedo-Frank, Resident Bishop of the Los Angeles Area of The United Methodist Church, criticized federal immigration enforcement operations for sending fully armed masked men to a "church setting where children and elders and mommas and poppas were here feeding the community."
"In our churches, we understand that it is a place of safety," she said. "Our safety has been violated inside our sacred space ... They came in and terrorized a community of faith."
As of Monday morning, it's not clear where Chavez is being held or on what charges.
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