Tatiana Martinez, a Colombian-American TikTok personality living in Los Angeles, was violently taken into custody by U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday, August 15, and video of the ordeal has gone viral on social media.
The 24-year-old YouTuber, who has been chronicling ICE raids in California for her 37,000 TikTok subscribers, was detained inside a downtown LA parking lot. In the video, Martinez is seen walking towards her vehicle when ICE agents step out and quickly pin her down. One agent is shown kneeling on her back as witnesses captured the confrontation.
As per a report by LA Taco, Martinez lost consciousness during the arrest and was rushed to White Memorial Hospital for treatment before being taken into a detention facility. She is still in custody as of Saturday, although her immigration status has not been verified.
BREAKING – Tatiana Martinez, an illegal residing in LA who built a career on social media by doxxing ICE agents and directing her followers to harass them and disrupt their arrests, has now been arrested herself. pic.twitter.com/1o9Paq6A1H
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) August 16, 2025
Martinez’s videos have been popular in recent months for documenting the escalation of ICE activity in California, including disputed workplace and public area raids. On her TikTok profile, @tatianamartinez_02, she has posted analysis of federal crackdowns in Washington, D.C., and even commented on culture figures such as Elon Musk, but more recently she has been in the midst of a documenting wave of immigration enforcement under the Trump presidency.
Her arrest has sparked outrage online, as supporters have cited the violent use of force against Martinez. Nonetheless, far-right Twitter accounts have blamed her for “doxing” ICE officers and supposedly tipping off protestors to their whereabouts during raids, both accusations of which have not been proven.
Her situation is amid heightened efforts by ICE in Southern California. Just recently, agents conducted “Operation Trojan Horse,” which resulted in dozens of arrests at a Los Angeles Home Depot. In a series of recent events, a female vendor selling food near another Home Depot was arrested, a car wash employee in Montebello was arrested, and The Guardian reported that a man was hit and killed by a car while running from ICE officers.
As the viral arrest video of Martinez spreads, immigrant rights activists are demanding that she be released and that there be accountability for the methods employed by federal agents. To many on the internet, her case has become an icon of the human cost behind the intensified immigration raids in Los Angeles.
Jamie Wells has a knack for getting the inside scoop on Hollywood’s biggest stars and up-and-coming talent. With a sharp eye for industry trends and an ear for viral moments, Jamie covers everything from red-carpet events to behind-the-scenes drama in movies, TV, and celebrity culture.
