Exclusive | Feds descend on California home of prominent anti-ICE agitator in dramatic early morning raid

Dozens of federal agents descended on the California home of a prominent anti-ICE agitator in a dramatic early morning raid on Wednesday.

The Ventura County home of Leo Martinez — who made national headlines last year when he was detained for interfering with an operation to apprehend an illegal migrant and registered offender — was one of several locations throughout the Golden State where officials executed federal search warrants, including Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, San Bernardino, and Corona.

It wasn’t clear what the feds were searching for, but the California Post witnessed agents examining a truck and a black van, and gathering evidence from inside Martinez’s home. The raid began around 3 a.m. on Wednesday.

“To protect the integrity of the investigation, we are unable to provide additional details at this time,” a spokesperson for HSI told The Post. “We will share further information when it becomes appropriate.” 

Martinez, a lead organizer for the ICE watch group VC Defensa, was in handcuffs and wearing a black hoodie and pants as law enforcement conducted the search. 

The immigration activist made news in October when he was detained for several hours after federal agents allegedly slammed their vehicle into his pickup truck.

Martinez had been stalking the ICE agents conducting an immigration operation in Oxnard, California, to locate and apprehend an illegal alien from Mexico who is a registered sex offender, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement at the time.

“During the operation, officers were confronted by an agitator group, who engaged in the recording and verbal harassment of the officers on scene,” the department said in a statement to CBS News.

“During the confrontation with ICE officers, two vehicles were involved in a collision. No injuries were reported. This is an ongoing investigation.”

Martinez claims he was trying to leave when the agents slammed into his vehicle.

“I’m trying to get out and do a few circles, trying to get out,” he told CBS. “That’s when they hit me the first time, and then they came through in the video that shows when they hit me really hard.”

Martinez was detained and released after a few hours with charges pending. 

No arrests were made during Wednesday’s raids.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters