Two medical staffers in California are facing federal charges after obstructing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents trying to arrest an illegal migrant who had run into a surgery center in Ontario to evade capture, the Department of Justice announced Friday.
Jose de Jesus Ortega, 38, was arrested Friday morning while police continue to look for Danielle Nadine Davila, 33. Ortega and Davila, part of the medical staff at the Ontario Advanced Surgery Center, are charged with assaulting a federal officer and conspiracy to prevent by force and intimidation a federal officer from discharging his duties.
"This story is another example of a false narrative echoed in the media in furtherance of an agenda to delegitimize federal agents," U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said in a statement Friday. "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."
The incident occurred July 8 when ICE agents approached Denis Guillen-Solis, an illegal migrant from Honduras, who was outside the medical center landscaping. Guillen-Solis attempted to flee from the agents, running into the medical center where Ortega and Davila stepped between Guillen-Solis and agents, yelling at the federal agents to leave and shouting "Let him go!" according to the DOJ.
Ortega and Davila grabbed the agent during the struggle, the DOJ said.
The medical staff called local police claiming a kidnapping, according to KTLA5. However, the ICE agents were wearing clearly marked ICE bulletproof vests, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said then.
Due to the sanctuary laws of California, ICE agents are forced to rove worksites looking for illegal migrants given the lack of cooperation from local law enforcement and jails. Border czar Tom Homan has repeatedly said ICE will scour workplaces to track down illegals and that collateral arrests are common in those scenarios.
Ortega and Davila face up to eight years for assaulting federal agents and up to six years on the conspiracy charge, if convicted.
"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," Essayli said in the statement.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.