ONTARIO, Calif. (NewsNation) — Two staff members at a Southern California surgery center have been charged after allegations they assaulted and interfered with immigration officers attempting to detain a migrant in the U.S. illegally, according to the Justice Department.
Jose de Jesus Ortega, 38, of Highland, California, was arrested Friday and was expected to make his first court appearance on the same day in U.S. District Court in Riverside.
Officers say they are still looking for Danielle Nadine Davila, 33, of Corona, California, for the same alleged offense.
Both employees of the medical facility have been charged with assaulting a federal officer and conspiracy to prevent a federal officer from carrying out his duties by force and intimidation, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California said.
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the incident is another example of a “false narrative echoed in the media” after reports surfaced that the migrant taken into custody was a patient at the facility.
“He ran inside for cover, and these defendants attempted to block his apprehension by assaulting our agents,” Essayli said. “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.”
Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were following a truck carrying three people earlier this month as part of their normal duties when the truck made a quick turn into the parking lot of the surgical center, according to the criminal complaint.
Officers approached the men after the men had exited the truck, and two of them ran away. One of the fleeing men, whom the Justice Department described as a migrant from Honduras, was partially detained near the surgery center’s front entrance before he resisted and pulled away.
Officials said that both Ortega and Davilia impeded federal officers and interfered with attempts to take the migrant into custody, the criminal complaint said. Davilia allegedly wedged herself in between the federal officer and the man he was attempting to detain, pushed the officer, and yelled, “Let him go,” and “Get out,” while Ortega reportedly grabbed the officer’s arm and then his vest, officials said.
The officer called for assistance, and another ICE officer arrived and reported seeing multiple staff members grabbing the first officer, who was attempting to take the migrant into custody, the complaint said.
Homeland Security Investigations is currently looking into the incident. A call to the Ontario Advanced Surgical Center seeking comment was not immediately returned to NewsNation on Monday.
If convicted, the two workers face a maximum of eight years in prison on the assault charge and up to six years on the conspiracy charge, Essayli said.
In a statement issued by her office the day after the incident, California Assemblywoman Michelle Rodriguez condemned the ICE activity at the surgical center. She accused ICE of “kidnapping” two constituents as they were doing their jobs.
“While I support law enforcement officers who act with integrity and uphold the law,” Rodriguez, a Democrat who represents Ontario, said in the statement, “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.”