Luis Benavides on the Night Ruth López Was Taken

The circumstances of her arrest were equally alarming. Luis Benavides, López’s husband, told Latino News Network that police arrived at their home under false pretenses. “The police came to our house with some story about our car having been in an accident,” he said. “She was in her pajamas. They had her change into other clothes on the street, with a photographer documenting her humiliation.” For Benavides, the spectacle was not only degrading but a clear signal that authorities intended to criminalize López before any legal process had even begun.