Abandoned vehicles have become a symbol of immigration enforcement in San Diego County.
And that’s exactly what volunteers who monitor immigration enforcement found in Cardiff early Friday morning outside of a residential construction site.
“Fortunately, they didn’t smash the window,” one of the volunteers told KPBS. “A lot of times you find the cars and sometimes the engine’s running, glass on the street and ICE is gone.”
The volunteer asked KPBS to withhold his name. He said he’s been confronted by federal agents in the past and is worried about retaliation.
The abandoned truck, a silver Nissan Frontier, belonged to two construction workers from National City, according to a co-worker. Some of their equipment, like drywall screws, lay on the truck bed. Their lunch was visible from the side window.
Federal agents arrested them around 7 a.m. Friday, according to witnesses.
KPBS reviewed photos of masked agents in unmarked vehicles surrounding the truck. It’s unclear whether the workers were inside the truck when the arrest happened.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and killed two people during traffic stops in July. The agency briefly paused the practice of using vehicle stops for immigration enforcement, but President Donald Trump brought it back this week, NPR reported.
ICE did not respond to a request for comment by Friday afternoon.
According to one of their co-workers, the brothers have worked at construction sites for nearly two decades. One of them is married and has two children.
“I’ve known his son since he was a little kid,” the co-worker said. “He’s an adult now and wants to be an architect.”
The co-worker asked KPBS to withhold his name, fearing professional repercussions for speaking out about the arrest.
Volunteers told KPBS this arrest is a good example of what immigration enforcement typically looks like in San Diego County. It’s not flash raids like Minneapolis or Los Angeles — the arrests are often quick and quiet.
“Some of the neighbors didn’t even know this happened, and they were just 10 feet away,” the volunteer said.
But enforcement is constant. Since the start of 2025, ICE agents have arrested more than 10,000 people in San Diego and Imperial counties.
