The Story of Illegal Immigrant 'Abducted' by ICE in LA Takes Dramatic Yet Predictable Turn

Back at the beginning of July, we brought you the story of Juli Calderon, a Los Angeles-based illegal immigrant who, along with her family, alleged she had been "abducted" in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant and taken to a place at the California/Mexico border where so-called "bounty hunters" supposedly turned her over to ICE, which she says demanded she self-deport.

In a press conference held in the same parking lot at the end of June, Calderon's attorney, Stephano Medina, flanked by sign-carrying family members, relayed what he said Calderon told him through a couple of phone calls she "managed" to make while she was allegedly being held at a warehouse along with "others" who were supposedly in the same predicament after refusing to self-deport.

"She was taken to a warehouse where she wasn’t given any food, and she was being told that she was going to be kept there until she signed this voluntary self deportation paperwork," Medina claimed at the press conference.

DHS denied the story at the time, noting that they don't hire out bounty hunters and suggesting the story was a fabrication.

Here we are two weeks later, and we're learning that the Department of Justice has arrested Calderon for allegedly making the whole thing up:

On July 3, when Calderon was still purportedly missing, federal agents grew concerned after confirming that Calderon was not in immigration custody. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began searching for Calderon over the holiday weekend.
On July 5, HSI agents tracked Calderon down in a shopping plaza parking lot in Bakersfield. Calderon continued to falsely claim she was taken by masked men and held in custody with others.
Video surveillance – including video of Calderon leaving the Jack in the Box parking lot and getting into a nearby sedan – as well as telephone records demonstrate Calderon fabricated the entire story. Calderon and her family knew that law enforcement was searching for her and feared for her safety, but Calderon and her family did not come forward. Instead, Calderon created what law enforcement believe to be fabricated photos of her “rescue,” made to look as if she was abused while in ICE custody and planned to hold a press conference on July 6 to increase donations to the GoFundMe page and to obtain other benefits.

Matt Finn from Fox News provided some additional details, which included photos:

Feds say Calderon even had pics ready showing her face with dirt on it, which they think was made to look like she was being held in custody and mistreated. Also a necklace on. But Feds say necklace (and shoe laces) woulda been removed if she had been in federal custody.

Calderon spotted at the Jack-in-the-Box parking lot, not in distress, according to Feds. June 25. pic.twitter.com/UXutTPfBTl
— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) July 17, 2025

In my initial write-up on this, I talked about how something wasn't adding up, and I was suspicious about it primarily because Calderon is an organizer with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, which bills itself as "a multi-racial, democratic, non-profit community organization that builds power to fight and stand for economic, racial, and social justice."

The story just seemed a little too convenient, considering everything else that was going on in Los Angeles in June with the immigration sweeps, the anti-ICE riots, the Alex Padilla stunt, and the intense back and forth between California Democrats and the Trump administration.

If the DOJ's allegations are correct, it would confirm those suspicions.

Relatedly, US Attorney Bill Essayli also hinted that charges could be forthcoming against others who may have been involved in the alleged plot, which possibly would mean any family member who the DOJ alleged "knew" but "did not come forward."

Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump, illegal immigration into our great country has virtually stopped. Despite the radical left's lies, new legislation wasn't needed to secure our border, just a new president.

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