A staff member at a clinic in Ontario, California, was arrested by federal authorities for allegedly obstructing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest, while another is still on the run.
Denis Guillen-Solis, a Honduran national and landscaper, reportedly tried to evade law enforcement earlier this month by entering the Ontario Advanced Surgical Center, even though he was not a patient.
“This incident highlights a false narrative promoted by irresponsible media members to push a political agenda against federal agents. The undocumented immigrant apprehended at the medical center was not a patient and had no affiliation with the facility. He sought refuge inside, and the clinic workers tried to prevent his arrest by attacking our agents,” stated U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli.
“Regardless of who you are or where you work, if you assault our agents or interfere with our operations, you will be arrested and charged with a federal offense,” Essayli added.
Two clinic staffers, Jose De Jesus Ortega and Danielle Nadine Davila, have warrants out for their arrest for allegedly assaulting and impeding a federal officer and conspiring to obstruct the officer from performing his duties.
Ortega has been apprehended, but Davila is still at large and being sought by law enforcement. She is listed on LinkedIn as a certified surgical technologist at the center and is accused of physically obstructing the ICE officer from detaining Guillen-Solis.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE officers were conducting a targeted enforcement operation to arrest two undocumented individuals when Guillen-Solis fled and sought refuge in the surgical center, where clinic staff physically impeded law enforcement and brought the officer and immigrant inside.
California Assemblymember Michelle Rodriguez condemned ICE’s actions and stated, “It is devastating to watch the impact of ICE on our communities. This past Tuesday, Immigration Enforcement officers kidnapped constituents from a surgical center as they were doing their jobs.”
Rodriguez added, “While I support law enforcement officers who act with integrity and uphold the law, I will never condone these cruel and lawless actions. Without accountability, we are left with armed men in masks dragging people off the street – this is not safety, not justice, and this is not who we should be.”
