A California woman was arrested after tearing down a U.S. flag, replacing it with a Mexican flag, and threatening a police officer’s family during her arrest.

The incident occurred Thursday morning at Hart Park in Bakersfield, where 24-year-old Crystal Aguilar was taken into custody by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.

According to authorities, deputies responded to reports around 9:30 a.m. that a woman was attempting to remove an American flag from a flagpole at the park entrance.

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Witnesses said Aguilar cut the chain securing the flag, threw it into the mud, and then hoisted a Mexican flag in its place.

Body camera footage released by the sheriff’s office captured the moment officers confronted Aguilar.

“You’re not going to tell me what to do, this is Mexican land, motherf**ker,” she told deputies. “Look at that flag, because that [U.S.] flag is on the floor.”

As officers attempted to take her into custody, Aguilar became increasingly aggressive. When instructed to turn around for handcuffing, she responded, “OK, my people kill you… Touch me, motherf**ker, and when your kids die…”

She then resisted arrest and issued further threats against the officers.

“Take me, motherf**ker, to Mexico… My dad is going to kill you and all your family. You think it’s a joke until it’s not. I already told my dad.”

It took multiple deputies to subdue Aguilar.

Once handcuffed, she continued making demands, telling officers to “set me free” and to “turn off my car.”

When one officer instructed her not to give orders, she shot back, “Then get the f**k out of my land, that’s Mexican land!”

The footage concluded with an officer beginning to remove the Mexican flag and retrieve the U.S. flag from the ground.

NEW: Woman who cut down an American flag arrested after she threatened to have her “people” k*ll police officers and their children in Bakersfield, California.

FAFO.

24-year-old Crystal Aguilar was seen replacing the American flag with a Mexican flag at the entrance of… pic.twitter.com/EiUxSCTtZq

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 7, 2025

Aguilar was arrested and charged with vandalism, resisting arrest, trespassing in a vehicle, and violating a county ordinance for possession of marijuana in a park.

This was not Aguilar’s first protest. Just last week, she was seen demonstrating outside Bakersfield City Hall, advocating for immigrant rights.

She later told Bakersfield Now that her activism was motivated by her personal experiences.

“We are the voices of our parents. We are on the land that was stolen,” she stated. Aguilar said she grew up without her parents after they were deported when she was young.

“I’m a child that grew up without a mom and without a dad because the government decided to deport them. They were field workers. And I say that loud, and I say that proud.”

She said she does not remember her father or brothers, who were also deported.

Aguilar’s demonstration coincided with an ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Since Trump took office on January 20, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported approximately 6,000 illegal immigrants, with about 350 to 400 removals occurring daily, according to ICE data shared with DailyMail.com.

On Monday alone, ICE arrested 715 individuals for outstanding immigration violations.

Officials reported that 73% of those detained had known criminal convictions or pending charges, including offenses related to homicide, sexual crimes against minors, and drug trafficking.

Additionally, six members of the Tren de Aragua (TDA) cartel, along with nine other migrant gang affiliates, were apprehended.

The administration has also begun deporting high-risk individuals to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of an effort to remove dangerous criminals linked to organized crime.

A senior White House official told DailyMail.com that Trump is committed to delivering on his promise to remove criminal illegal immigrants.

“President Trump’s administration is carrying out his promise to arrest and deport criminal illegal immigrants,” the official stated. “There’s more to come. This is just the beginning.”

During an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday, Trump praised the efforts to remove violent criminals from the country.

“The volume of crime that they have and the viciousness of the crimes—these people are horrible people, and if somebody thinks they’re going to be wonderful citizens someday, they’re wrong. It’s not going to happen,” Trump said.

“If I can get them out of the country and be in some other country where they’re glad to have them because they make a small fee compared to what we’ve paid to a private prison, or to put them in one of our prisons and cost even more money, I think it would be great,” he continued.

“I’d love to get them the hell out of our country,” he added.

The administration has signaled that deportation efforts will continue, with ICE officials stating that their priority remains identifying and removing illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds. Meanwhile, Aguilar remains in custody as she faces legal proceedings following her arrest in Bakersfield.

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