| Jimmy Rhoades was spraying pesticide on orange trees in San Juan Capistrano on Aug. 28 when a yell went up in the air: |
| Immigration agents were staging a raid. |
| Mexican nationals working alongside Rhoades ran into the groves and hid for hours. But la migra stuck around until the naranjeros reemerged and detained them. Agents then spotted the blond-haired, blue-eyed, 15-year-old Rhoades hiding inside a spraying rig. |
| They "threw me into their truck without asking any questions," he told the Long Beach Press-Telegram. |
| That's when the teen's 11-hour hell began. |
| This episode took place nearly 75 years ago, but for Latinos in Southern California and beyond,
the same kind of drama is sadly becoming just another day of life in President Trump's America. |
La migra's long history of cruel and sloppy enforcement |
| Rhoades and his co-workers — including a Mexican American — were driven down to Oceanside and stuffed into a room. When he asked to call his mother in Yorba Linda, an agent shoved him into a chair and shouted, "We'll ask the questions." |
| After hours in custody, Rhoades and the others were moved to an immigration processing center in Chula Vista. It was there when la migra finally asked him for ID and determined what he was insisting all along was true: He was a U.S. citizen. |
| Rhoades was finally released but offered no ride home, let alone an apology. His boss had to pick him up all the way from north O.C. At least he was let free; three other workers were deported. |
Tales of reckless raids are becoming more and more common |
| As Trump pours nitro on his deportation campaign, a ProPublica investigation found a month ago that la migra has held more than 170 U.S. citizens this year alone. But this is not anything new: They also happened as far back as 1954. |
| Then and now, a president unleashed a scorched-earth deportation campaign in the name of securing the U.S.-Mexico border, clawing back jobs for American workers and winning back the homeland from an invading force. |
| This administration has cited Eisenhower's Operation Wetback as inspiration for what Trump's migra squad is doing right now. He and his supporters have described the campaign as a swift, orderly necessity that can be easily replicated. |
| But the Rhoades case showed that anyone can be swallowed up by the government's deportation machine — and that la migra doesn't care if innocents suffer along the way. |
| What's that old saying? Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. |
Rhoades' family didn't sue — they just hoped it would never happen again |
| The first newspaper stories about what happened to Rhoades came four days after his ordeal, when his parents let the press know they were seeking legal recourse or at least an apology. The Long Beach Independent wrote that they had "been advised" they could sue la migra for "alleged kidnapping, false imprisonment and placing a minor in custody with adults." |
| Rhoades, for his part, told the newspaper that what he experienced was a "daytime nightmare" and that he was "petrified." |
| Immigration officials at first wouldn't confirm or deny Rhoades' story, telling the Anaheim Bulletin, "You newspaper [men] are trying to stir up something as usual." |
| But as the story spread across California, complete with a photo of Rhoades looking like a "Leave it to Beaver" background character — checkered shirt, chubby cheeks, fluffy flattop — immigration officials had to address what happened. |
| They blamed Rhoades. |
| Herman R. Landon, the Los Angeles-area director for Immigration and Naturalization Services, told the Associated Press that the teenager told his agents "false information as to where the wetbacks had gone, which resulted in their getting away" and had tried to drive off in a truck with undocumented immigrants. |
| "If he were a little older," Landon warned, "he'd still be held and facing possible prosecution" — the type of line that nowadays would seem natural coming out of the mouths of any Homeland Security bigwig. |
| To use another cliche about history: It doesn't repeat, but it sure can rhyme. |
| The Rhoades family ultimately didn't pursue a lawsuit. "Jimmy wasn't hurt," his mother reasoned to the Independent. "I just hope it never happens to any other American boy." |
| The more things change … OK, I'll stop. Too bad la migra most probably won't. |
Today's top stories |
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| Police separate two men outside a Turning Point USA event at UC Berkeley on Nov. 10, 2025.
(Noah Berger / Associated Press) |
Turmoil at California universities |
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L.A. fire investigations |
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Trump administration's battles |
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California courts |
- A judge has refused to drop the murder charges against a man accused of killing four Pepperdine students on the PCH in 2023.
- A former Baldwin Park police officer has pleaded not guilty to charges that he stole more than $100,000 from the police union where he served as its treasurer.
- The mother of missing girl Melodee Buzzard was charged with false imprisonment after authorities say she held a man captive in her home.
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More big stories |
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Commentary and opinions |
- JD Vance is loud, obnoxious and, in a very short time, he's broken unprecedented ground with his smash-face, turn-it-to-11 approach to the vice presidency, argues columnist Mark Z. Barabak.
- Trump's demolition of the White House's East Wing reveals a fracture in more than its architecture, writes guest contributor Rosa Lowinger.
- While Venezuela is under Nicolás Maduro's rule, guest contributor Daniel R. DePetris argues, a change in regime still can't promise stability.
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This morning's must reads |
| | | A coalition of five California desert tribes will co-manage the 624,000-acre Chuckwalla National Monument. | | | |
Other great reads |
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| Keep up with California | Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. | | | | | |
For your downtime |
 |
| Back to the Body's "art of adoration" exercise aims to make all women feel beautiful." (Joyce Lee / For The Times) |
Going out |
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Staying in |
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Question of the day: What's one special dish your family makes for Thanksgiving? |
| Peg Quinn said, "When I subscribed to the Sunday LA Times in 1981, it included a free California Cookbook. I've used the pumpkin pie recipe every Thanksgiving since - it's the BEST- and it always gets rave reviews!" |
| Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. |
And finally ... the photo of the day |
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| Janelle Monae attends the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Peacock Theater on Nov. 8, 2025. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times) |
| Today's great photo, from Times photographer Eric Thayer, is of Janelle Monae on the red carpet at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Peacock Theater. |
| Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
| Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martin, assistant editor
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
June Hsu, editorial fellow
Andrew Campa, weekend reporter
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
| How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. |
