TikToker Tatiana Martinez claims she was tortured by US ICE agents after being detained during live-stream in Los Angeles
A Colombian influencer who was detained by US immigration agents in Los Angeles while recording a live-stream has claimed she was tortured and mistreated by them.
Tatiana Martinez, 26, from Cali, Colombia, said she was intercepted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Los Angeles on August 15, before being held in detention centres in Alameda and Calexico for several weeks. She returned to Colombia after being granted voluntary departure on October 3.
Tatiana told Colombian media she was first taken to a hospital and later transferred to a detention facility in Alameda, where she alleged she was beaten, humiliated, and psychologically abused.
She claimed that ICE agents struck her face and legs, denied her food, and kept her for about 20 hours without access to a toilet. The influencer said she was mocked by staff who recognised her from social media, adding that one officer spat on her food before handing it to her.
Tatiana explained that she had sought asylum in the United States after being kidnapped, raped, and threatened in Colombia’s Cauca region.
She said her arrest took place as she left her home to go to a nail appointment.
She recalled: “When I was leaving, a truck stopped in front and another behind. Four people got out and called my name.”
According to her account, she resisted because no warrant was shown.
She said: “I asked them to show me the order, and they said it was the immigration police.”
Tatiana livestreamed part of the incident, telling her followers that people were “in her house” and that she was being “kidnapped”.
She claimed her detention was the result of someone in Los Angeles providing ICE with her address and car details after a personal dispute.
The TikToker said she lost track of time inside what detainees called “the cold room”, describing it as a place where “you don’t know if it’s day or night”.
After her release, she chose to leave the US voluntarily, saying she could no longer endure the conditions. Now back in Cali, Tatiana said she is receiving psychological support to recover from nightmares and anxiety caused by her experience.
Her case has drawn attention from migrant rights groups in Colombia, which have called for an investigation into the alleged abuses at the US detention centres.
Story: NewsX