Surgery center workers charged with blocking ICE from arresting immigrant who ran into their building
Disturbing footage showed a masked agent holding back a female member of staff by her neck as she tried to step in the way. The agent forcefully pulls the woman before another worker intervenes.
Criminal charges have now been filed against Jose de Jesus Ortega, 38, of Highland, and Danielle Nadine Davila, 33, of Corona, who are accused of assaulting and interfering with an ICE investigation, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Ortega was arrested Friday morning and has since made his first court appearance, while law enforcement is still searching for Davila.
The charges stem from an incident at the Ontario Advanced Surgery Center in San Bernardino County earlier this month.
'The media originally reported that the illegal alien was taken during a medical appointment. That was false,' according to Bill Essayli, interim U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, whose office brought the charges.
'The illegal alien arrested inside the surgery center was not a patient. He ran inside for cover and these defendants attempted to block his apprehension by assaulting our agents,' according to Essayli. 'It doesn't matter who you are or where you work, if you assault our agents or otherwise interfere with our operations, you will be arrested and charged with a federal crime.'
The assault charge against Ortega and Davila carries a maximum statutory sentence of eight years in federal prison, and conspiracy to interfere with a federal officer carries up to six.
According to an affidavit seen byThe Independent, the incident occurred on July 8 after two ICE agents, conducting roving searches, confronted a truck carrying three men. The truck pulled into the surgery parking lot and two of the men fled when approached.
One of the men, who was reported to be in the United States illegally from Honduras, was detained near the surgery entrance, but resisted arrest and escaped into the building with help from a member of staff, according to the complaint.
Agents then came across Ortega and Davila inside the building, where the altercation was caught on camera. In the footage, Davila can be heard shouting 'let him go!' and 'get out!' at the officers.
California has become an epicenter of controversial ICE activity as part of Donald Trump's anti-immigration agenda, sparking widespread protests that provoked forceful law enforcement responses and the deployment of National Guard service members and Marines.
'This arrest was not about law enforcement,' according to Synai Alas, the niece of one of the targeted immigrants, speaking at a press conference calling for his release. 'It was about silencing him. My uncle is being targeted and prosecuted, not because he broke any law, but because he has fearlessly stood up to defend constitutional rights.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Book Review: A sudden blizzard strands a detective and murder suspects in a hunting lodge
Book Review - Hunter's Heart Ridge - 3x2 for APNews In 1965, as the Vietnam War escalates, a small group of wealthy, powerful men gather at a Vermont lodge to drink and hunt deer. Shortly after they arrive, one of their number, William Moulton, a supporter of the war and a former ambassador to West Germany, is found dead in the woods. State Trooper Franklin Warren, first introduced by author Sarah Stewart Taylor in 'Agony Hill,' (2024) is dispatched to investigate when 'Hunter's Heart Ridge' opens. The surviving members of the group speculate that Moulton died in a hunting accident or, perhaps, killed himself; but Warren promptly determines the man was murdered in a most unusual way. He was stabbed through the heart, and then someone fired a rifle shot through the stab wound as if trying to conceal the cause of death. The group, like the rest of the nation, had been hotly debating the wisdom and morality of the war. However, it soon becomes evident that most of them had a variety of additional reasons to dislike Moulton. As Warren proceeds with his investigation, it becomes evident that nearly everyone is lying to him about one thing or another, although it is not clear whether what each of them has to hide is related to the murder. Then a sudden, early season blizzard strikes, bringing down the telephone lines and stranding Warren with a house full of suspects, including members of the lodge service staff. 'It's like a movie, isn't it,' says one of the kitchen help. 'Or an Agatha Christie novel.' Yes, except that the story's pace sometimes drags. A subplot involving Franklin's friends Alice and Sylvie builds on characters who played a role in 'Agony Hill,' but it adds little to the main story and will be lost on those who have not read the previous novel. Nevertheless, the main plot is clever and suspenseful, and as usual in Taylor's novels (this is her tenth), the settings are vividly drawn and the characters — especially an excitable teenage girl named Jenny — are quirky and memorable. ___ Bruce DeSilva, winner of the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award, is the author of the Mulligan crime novels including 'The Dread Line.' ___ AP book reviews:
New York Times
6 minutes ago
- New York Times
‘Victim-3' in Sean Combs Indictment Argues for His Release From Jail
A former girlfriend of Sean Combs who was once part of the government's sex-trafficking case against him wrote a letter in support of the music mogul's release from jail ahead of his sentencing for prostitution-related offenses. The woman, Virginia Huynh, was included in the indictment as one of the women Mr. Combs was accused of coercing into sex. Often referenced in court proceedings as 'Victim-3,' Ms. Huynh did not ultimately testify at the trial, and her departure from the case was not publicly explained. Ms. Huynh's letter was filed in court by Mr. Combs's lawyers on Sunday to bolster their argument that their client should be granted bail. Addressing Arun Subramanian, the judge overseeing the case, Ms. Huynh spoke highly of Mr. Combs, describing him as a 'family man' who, she believed, would adhere to bail conditions. 'Our relationship, like many, was not always perfect, we experienced ups and downs, and mistakes were made, but he was willing to acknowledge his mistakes and make better decisions in the future,' the letter said. 'Over the years that followed he made visible efforts to become a better person and to address the harm he had caused.' Mr. Combs, known as Diddy and Puff Daddy, has vehemently denied sex trafficking anyone since the start of the case and has maintained that his sexual relationships with the women were fully consensual. A jury acquitted Mr. Combs last month of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, the most serious charges against him, at the conclusion of an eight-week trial at Federal District Court in Lower Manhattan. He was convicted on two lesser counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, violations related to voyeuristic sex marathons known as 'freak-offs' and 'hotel nights' that involved Mr. Combs, his girlfriends and hired male escorts. Each carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CBS News
8 minutes ago
- CBS News
Attempted burglary in Studio City continues pattern of San Fernando Valley break-ins
As community leaders in parts of the San Fernando Valley continue to worry about a pattern of frightening home break-ins, an incident overnight led to one homeowner firing off a gun toward a suspect, police said. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers responded to a Studio City home around 11 p.m. after a homeowner was woken up by an alarm going off downstairs. The homeowner then saw a person running through their house. Police said the homeowner "popped off" a couple of shots with a firearm, scaring the suspect off. Police said the homeowner saw just one person inside the home. The suspect jumped into a getaway vehicle, which then took off. They're yet to be identified. No arrests have been made. There's no evidence that the gunshots struck anyone, authorities said. No additional details were immediately made available. The incident is just the latest in a string of attempted burglaries and other crimes in affluent neighborhoods of the San Fernando Valley. The issue has become so frightening to residents that Encino community leaders recently presented a list of demands to authorities in a meeting. More than 200 residents came out to the meeting, which took place just weeks after an "American Idol" executive and her husband were shot dead in their home with their own gun by an intruder, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman claims. Last week, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said he planned to increase patrols in the area. He also claimed that those Encino crimes were likely connected to an organized crime crew from South America. As of Monday morning, it's not yet clear if the Studio City incident was connected to the string of Encino crimes.
