ICE details criminal histories of mother, son arrested in El Monte after family backlash

EL MONTE, Calif. - Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are responding to backlash over the recent arrests of a mother and her son in El Monte.

What we know:

The family says ICE agents detained Yolanda Perez and her son Jonathan Tejeda-Perez near their home on Feb. 24, claiming they had a warrant but reportedly never showed up with one.

The daughter, Xitali Tejeda, says her mom was ambushed while moving her car for street sweeping when her brother tried to intervene. He was also detained.

They say agents initially said they were investigating vehicle theft. 

The family denies any wrongdoing. 

The family says Yolanda and Jonathan are undocumented and are now being held in separate detention facilities in Southern California. 

Xitali has bone cancer and relies on her mom as her caregiver.

What they're saying:

"It's very sad and very yeah, very frustrating because I couldn't do anything about it," said Xitlali.

"I just I try to tell them just to stay calm, that we're trying everything we can. My brother that was handcuffed was our financials person.

Days later, Rep. Gil Cisneros, D-Covina, criticized the arrests.

"These arrests are sickening, and I have grave concerns with how these arrests were reported to have been carried out by ICE," Cisneros said in a statement. "The 31st District is home to many immigrant families who came to our country wanting to contribute to our communities and local economy. This El Monte family was simply trying to care for the youngest daughter and work to provide her with the healthcare treatments she needs. Stoking fear, targeting our community members, and ripping apart families is not an acceptable solution for our broken immigration system. We need humane comprehensive immigration reform that addresses bad actors, but still upholds our American values and helps bring immigrants who have been living in our country out of the shadows. My office will continue to monitor this situation."

The other side:

An ICE spokesperson released a statement to FOX 11 providing more details on why they arrested Yolanda and Jonathan during the "targeted enforcement action."

According to ICE, Jonathan is an illegal alien and citizen of Mexico who entered the U.S. "at an unknown location on an unknown date without being admitted or paroled by an immigration officer."

His criminal history includes arrests by the LA County Sheriff's Department for possession of a controlled substance, possession of unlawful paraphernalia, driving without a license in 2014, possession of a controlled substance in 2015, possession of unlawful paraphernalia, and driving without a license in 2016.

Jonathan's additional arrests in 2017 include the Arcadia Police Department for possession of a controlled substance, the Los Angeles Police Department for property theft, and the United States Postal Inspection Service in Los Angeles for theft or receipt of stolen mail. He was convicted for theft or receipt of stolen mail.

Yolanda, who ICE described as an illegal alien and citizen of Mexico, "entered the U.S. at an unknown location on an unknown date without being admitted or paroled by an immigration officer," according to ICE.

She was arrested by LASD deputies in July 2005 for theft.

What's next:

Yolanda and Jonathan will remain in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings, an ICE spokesperson said.