Tag Archives: Bill Essayli

Miami Herald: ‘False Narrative’: DOJ Addresses Operation in California

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ICE’s bully boys will always spin it their way, throwing in a few lies as needed, but their credibility these days likes somewhere between nebulous and nil. At the end of the day, what’s going to matter is what the surgical center employees thought was happening, and whether their interpretation of the situation was reasonable.

ICE should have secured the perimeter, made sure they had a valid JUDICIAL warrant SIGED BY A JUDGE, and then used their negotiating skills to resolve the matter. Unfortunately tact and negotiating skills are lacking in the skillsets of most bully boys, and ICE is no exception.

Honduran national Denis Guillen-Solis reportedly sought refuge in an Ontario, California, Surgery Center, evading law enforcement authorities. Staff allegedly obstructed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation seeking his arrest, leading to the detention of a staff member, while another remains at large. The incident has since triggered legal actions against the staff allegedly involved in interfering with federal officers.

U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said, “This story is another example of a false narrative peddled by irresponsible members of the media in furtherance of a political agenda to delegitimize federal agents. The illegal alien arrested inside the medical center was not a patient and was not in any way affiliated with that location. He ran inside for cover and these medical workers attempted to block his apprehension by assaulting our agents.”

Essayli added, “To be very clear, 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.”

Criminal warrants were issued for Jose De Jesus Ortega and Danielle Nadine Davila on charges of forcibly assaulting, impeding, and interfering with a federal officer.

Clinic staff reportedly locked doors, blocked law enforcement vehicles, and falsely reported a kidnapping. Davila allegedly physically confronted an ICE officer during the disruption.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated, “ICE officers conducted a targeted enforcement operation to arrest two illegal aliens. Officers in clearly marked ICE bulletproof vests approached the illegal alien targets as they exited a vehicle.”

California Assemblymember Michelle Rodriguez called the ICE operation “devastating” for the community. She reaffirmed her commitment to integrity as federal authorities have addressed ongoing tensions in the region.

Rodriguez said, “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.”

‘False Narrative’: DOJ Addresses Operation in California

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/false-narrative-doj-addresses-operation-in-california/ar-AA1KDMYD

LA Times: Westlake Home Depot raided again, reigniting fears of more sweeps despite judge’s order to stop

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After weeks of relative quiet, Border Patrol agents raided a Home Depot in Westlake on Wednesday as a top federal agent warned, “We’re not leaving,” and posted images of half a dozen border agents running from a Penske truck through the parking lot.

As many as 16 immigrants were reported rounded up and arrested in what U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief Greg Bovino called “Operation Trojan Horse.” The early morning raids revived fears of more widespread sweeps that organizers had hoped would ease with a federal judge’s order, affirmed by a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel, that immigration officials cannot racially profile people or use roving patrols to target immigrants.

“For those who thought Immigration enforcement had stopped in Southern California, think again,” acting U.S. attorney Bill Essayli posted on X, shortly after the raid. “The enforcement of federal law is not negotiable and there are no sanctuaries from the reach of the federal government.”

A day laborer, who identified himself as Ceasar, said around 6:45 a.m. a yellow Penske truck pulled up to the laborers who had gathered in the parking lot. The driver told them in Spanish he was looking for workers.

Several of the men gathered around the truck and then someone, it was unclear who to him, rolled up the back of the truck. Masked agents, one wearing a cowboy hat, jumped out and started chasing people. People scattered.

“This is the worst feeling ever,” said Ceasar, who has been going to the home improvement store to pick up work for several years.

Video on social media captured the moment the back of the rental truck opened. When Penske Truck Rental was asked about it, they said they were aware of the incident.

“The company was not made aware that its trucks would be used in today’s operation and did not authorize this,” said Penske spokesman Randolph P. Ryerson. “Penske will reach out to DHS and reinforce its policy to avoid improper use of its vehicles in the future.

He added: “Penske strictly prohibits the transportation of people in the cargo area of its vehicles under any circumstances,” the statement said.

One worker who escaped was still shaken by the experience an hour later. He identified himself as Raul, and said he saw at least eight people get arrested.

“That’s one of their cars,” he said pointing to a silver Toyota sedan.

The Home Depot had been one of the scene of the first raids in June that kicked off a more than month of operations in Southern California in which civil rights lawyers say federal agents indiscriminately arrested immigrants. The raids gutted businesses, spread fear and tore apart families.

On July 11, a federal judge temporarily blocked federal agents from using racial profiling to carry out indiscriminate arrests after the ACLU, Public Counsel, other groups and private attorneys sued over the practices saying that the region had been “under seige.”

Department of Justice attorneys argued the order hinders them from carrying federal immigration enforcement, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal upheld the order.

For the past weeks since the restraining order kicked in in early July, Bovino has shared photos of arrests of undocumented immigrants, stating that some had active arrest warrants. With others, he referenced a lengthy criminal history, marking the arrests as more targeted than they had been prior.

But organizers say a similar operation to the raid unfolded on Monday at a Home Depot in Hollywood that was the site of a massive raid in June. That operation also sparked concerns about violations of the TRO.

Maegan Ortiz, the executive director of the nonprofit group Instituto de Educación Popular del Sur de California, known as IDEPSCA, said they began receiving word about an immigration operation at the Home Depot in Hollywood around 6:50 a.m. on Monday.

Westlake Home Depot raided again, reigniting fears of more sweeps despite judge’s order to stop

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ar-AA1K1YKo

Fox News: Medical staff face charges after allegedly interfering with California ICE arrest

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Federal authorities arrested a staff member of a clinic in Ontario, California, for allegedly interfering with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest, while another remains at large. 

Earlier this month, Honduran national Denis Guillen-Solis, a landscaper, allegedly left on foot to evade law enforcement and went inside the Ontario Advanced Surgical Center, where he was not a patient. 

“This story is another example of a false narrative peddled by irresponsible members of the media in furtherance of a political agenda to delegitimize federal agents. The illegal alien arrested inside the medical center was not a patient and was not in any way affiliated with that location. He ran inside for cover and these medical workers attempted to block his apprehension by assaulting our agents,” U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli told Fox News in a statement.

“To be very clear, 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 continued.

The criminal warrants were signed off by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym for two of the staffers, Jose De Jesus Ortega and Danielle Nadine Davila, for allegedly “forcibility assaulting, impeding, and interfering with a federal officer involving physical contact” and “conspiring to prevent, by force and intimidation, a federal officer from discharging his duties.” 

Ortega was arrested on Friday morning, and Davila remains at large and is currently being sought by law enforcement.

On LinkedIn, Davilla is listed as a certified surgical technologist at the center, and is specifically said in the criminal complaint to have allegedly put her hands on the ICE officer and wedged herself between him and Guillen-Solis.

“ICE officers conducted a targeted enforcement operation to arrest two illegal aliens. Officers in clearly marked ICE bulletproof vests approached the illegal alien targets as they exited a vehicle,” the Department of Homeland Security posted to X on July 9.

“One of the illegal aliens, Denis Guillen-Solis who is from Honduras, fled on foot to evade law enforcement. He ended up near the Ontario Advanced Surgical Center where hospital staff assaulted law enforcement and drug the officer and illegal alien into the facility. Then, the staff attempted to obstruct the arrest by locking the door, blocking law enforcement vehicles from moving, and even called the cops claiming there was a ‘kidnapping,’” the post added.

“This is a private property,” one staffer in a video of the incident said, asking the ICE agent to leave.

“Get your hands off of him,” another staffer said.

California Democratic Assemblymember Michelle Rodriguez, who represents Ontario, spoke out against ICE after the incident.

“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 said in a statement.

“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,” she continued. 

There’s no sympathy from me for masked Gestapo thugs trespassing on private property and dragging people off.

Medical staff face charges after allegedly interfering with California ICE arrest
ICE operation in Ontario led to arrests of clinic staff who allegedly blocked federal agents from apprehending a Honduran national in a foot pursuit.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/medical-staff-face-federal-charges-after-allegedly-assaulting-ice-agents

Associated Press: Army veteran and US citizen arrested in California immigration raid warns it could happen to anyone

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George Retes, 25, … said he was arriving at work on July 10 when several federal agents surrounded his car and — despite him identifying himself as a U.S. citizen — broke his window, peppered sprayed him and dragged him out…. Retes was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where he said he was put in a special cell on suicide watch…. He said federal agents never told him why he was arrested or allowed him to contact a lawyer or his family during his three-day detention. Authorities never let him shower or change clothes despite being covered in tear gas and pepper spray, Retes said, adding that his hands burned throughout the first night he spent in custody. On Sunday, an officer had him sign a paper and walked him out of the detention center. He said he was told he faced no charges. “They gave me nothing I could wrap my head around,” Retes said, explaining that he was met with silence on his way out when he asked about being “locked up for three days with no reason and no charges.”

A U.S. Army veteran who was arrested during an immigration raid at a Southern California marijuana farm last week said Wednesday he was sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray before being dragged from his vehicle and pinned down by federal agents who arrested him.

George Retes, 25, who works as a security guard at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, said he was arriving at work on July 10 when several federal agents surrounded his car and — despite him identifying himself as a U.S. citizen — broke his window, peppered sprayed him and dragged him out.

“It took two officers to nail my back and then one on my neck to arrest me even though my hands were already behind my back,” Retes said.

The Ventura City native was detained during chaotic raids at two Southern California farms where federal authorities arrested more than 360 people, one of the largest operations since President Donald Trump took office in January. Protesters faced off against federal agents in military-style gear, and one farmworker died after falling from a greenhouse roof.

The raids came more than a month into an extended immigration crackdown by the Trump administration across Southern California that was originally centered in Los Angeles, where local officials say the federal actions are spreading fear in immigrant communities.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke on the raids at a news conference Wednesday, calling Trump a “chaos agent” who has incited violence and spread fear in communities.

“You got someone who dropped 30 feet because they were scared to death and lost their life,” he said, referring to the farmworker who died in the raids. “People are quite literally disappearing with no due process, no rights.”

Retes was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where he said he was put in a special cell on suicide watch and checked on each day after he became emotionally distraught over his ordeal and missing his 3-year-old daughter’s birthday party Saturday.

He said federal agents never told him why he was arrested or allowed him to contact a lawyer or his family during his three-day detention. Authorities never let him shower or change clothes despite being covered in tear gas and pepper spray, Retes said, adding that his hands burned throughout the first night he spent in custody.

On Sunday, an officer had him sign a paper and walked him out of the detention center. He said he was told he faced no charges.

“They gave me nothing I could wrap my head around,” Retes said, explaining that he was met with silence on his way out when he asked about being “locked up for three days with no reason and no charges.”

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed Retes’ arrest but didn’t say on what charges.

“George Retes was arrested and has been released,” she said. “He has not been charged. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is reviewing his case, along with dozens of others, for potential federal charges related to the execution of the federal search warrant in Camarillo.”

A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to halt indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests without warrants in seven California counties, including Los Angeles. Immigrant advocates accused federal agents of detaining people because they looked Latino. The Justice Department appealed on Monday and asked for the order to be stayed.

The Pentagon also said Tuesday it was ending the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles. That’s roughly half the number the administration sent to the city following protests over the immigration actions. Some of those troops have been accompanying federal agents during their immigration enforcement operations.

Retes said he joined the Army at 18 and served four years, including deploying to Iraq in 2019.

“I joined the service to help better myself,” he said. “I did it because I love this (expletive) country. We are one nation and no matter what, we should be together. All this separation and stuff between everyone is just the way it shouldn’t be.”

Retes said he plans to sue for wrongful detention.

“The way they’re going about this entire deportation process is completely wrong, chasing people who are just working, especially trying to feed everyone here in the U.S.,” he said. “No one deserves to be treated the way they treat people.”

Retes was detained along with California State University Channel Islands professor Jonathan Caravello, also a U.S. citizen, who was arrested for throwing a tear gas canister at law enforcement, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted on X.

The California Faculty Association said Caravello was taken away by agents who did not identify themselves nor inform him of why he was being taken into custody. Like Retes, the association said the professor was then held without being allowed to contact his family or an attorney.

Caravello was attempting to dislodge a tear gas canister that was stuck underneath someone’s wheelchair, witnesses told KABC-TV, the ABC affiliate in Los Angeles.

A federal judge on Monday ordered Caravello to be released on $15,000 bond. He’s scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 1.

“I want everyone to know what happened. This doesn’t just affect one person,” Retes said. “It doesn’t matter if your skin is brown. It doesn’t matter if you’re white. It doesn’t matter if you’re a veteran or you serve this country. They don’t care. They’re just there to fill a quota.”

Army veteran and US citizen arrested in California immigration raid warns it could happen to anyone
A U.S. Army veteran arrested during an immigration raid at a California marijuana farm says he was sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray before being dragged from his vehicle on his way to work.

https://apnews.com/article/us-army-veteran-immigration-raid-53cb22251a01599a0c4d1a8d5650d050

The College Fix: Faculty group demands release of Cal State professor ‘kidnapped’ by ICE

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U.S. attorney says he was ‘arrested for throwing a tear gas canister’ at agents

Just returning their trash. The Gestapo ICE thugs shouldn’t have been tear-gassing the protesters in the first place.

A California State University faculty group is demanding the release of a professor it claims was “kidnapped” for no reason by federal agents.

The California Faculty Association, an “anti-racism, social justice union” that has 29,000 members, claimed on Instagram Saturday that “four masked agents” put CSU Channel Islands professor Jonathan Caravello into an unmarked vehicle “without identifying themselves” or giving a reason for the arrest.

According to KTLA, Caravello (pictured) was part of a Thursday demonstration protesting the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at the Glass House Farms marijuana facility.

The university confirmed that Caravello, who teaches philosophy and math, was in federal custody, saying in a statement “At this time, it is our understanding that Professor Caravello was peacefully participating in a protest – an act protected under the First Amendment and a right guaranteed to all Americans.

“If confirmed, we stand with elected officials and community leaders calling for his immediate release.”

But U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted on X Sunday afternoon that Caravello “was not ‘kidnapped’ by federal agents” but “was arrested for throwing a tear gas canister at law enforcement.”

What goes around, comes around!

Officially, Caravello is charged with “assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees.” He has a court appearance scheduled for Monday.

In a Friday Instagram statement, the CFA said it “band[s] with immigrant communities” to help protect them from the “invasion of ICE, Department of Homeland Security, National Guard, and local law enforcement,” and claimed the Trump administration “continues to terrorize” immigrants.

On Sunday, the group posted Caravello “has been located in Los Angeles” and noted three ways to “support” him, which includes being present upon his release from custody.

On Monday, Caravello was released on bail from federal custody; he is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 1, the Ventura Star reported.

His attorney said he vows to fight the charges and the CFA celebrated his release, the newspaper reported.

According to his faculty page, Caravello’s research interests include epistemology, rationality, and “transcendental arguments.”

Faculty group demands release of Cal State professor ‘kidnapped’ by ICE | The College Fix
attorney says he was ‘arrested for throwing a tear gas canister’ at agents.

http://thecollegefix.com/faculty-group-demands-release-of-cal-state-professor-kidnapped-by-ice/

Daily Beast: Trump Declares War on Los Angeles Following ICE Protests

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The Trump administration has sued the City of Los Angeles for discriminating against federal immigration officers.

President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit Monday against Los Angeles, its mayor Karen Bass, and the Los Angeles City Council for “illegal” sanctuary city policies that it says “deliberately impede federal immigration officers’ ability to carry out their responsibilities.”

Two reasons why the feds will lose this one:

    1. Masked Gestapo pigs are not a protected class under the discrimination laws.

    2. The Tenth Amendent does not permit the federal government to order the states to do the feds’ bidding.

    Trump Declares War on Los Angeles Following ICE Protests
    The lawsuit claimed that the city discriminated against federal immigration officers using sanctuary city policies.

    https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-declares-war-on-los-angeles-following-ice-protests

    ABC News: Department of Justice suing Los Angeles over sanctuary city policy

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    The Department of Justice is suing the city of Los Angeles over its sanctuary city policy, alleging it interferes with the enforcement of federal immigration laws, officials announced on Monday.

    “The challenged law and policies of the City of Los Angeles obstruct the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law and impede consultation and communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials that is necessary for federal officials to carry out federal immigration law and keep Americans safe,” the lawsuit states.

    The lawsuit is targeting Ordinance Number 188441, which prohibits city resources, including personnel, from being used for immigration enforcement. The DOJ is seeking a permanent injunction barring the city from enforcing the ordinance.

    Big waste of time and money — the Tenth Amendment (separation of powers) says the federal government can’t hijack state or local governments to do their bidding.

    Department of Justice suing Los Angeles over sanctuary city policy
    The lawsuit is targeting Ordinance Number 188441, which prohibits city resources, including personnel, from being used for immigration enforcement.

    https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/doj-suing-los-angeles-sanctuary-city-policy/story?id=123348526

    Daily Caller: Feds ‘Tracing Money’ Behind LA Riots In Expanding Probe

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    The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is “currently tracing money” connected to the recent left-wing riots in Los Angeles in partnership with other agencies, Trump administration officials announced Tuesday.

    IRS, FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) leaders said in a video posted to X that their agencies are working together to investigate financial support for anti-deportation riots that rocked Los Angeles for several days starting June 6. The unrest has led to nearly $20 million in costs for Los Angeles so far and more than 550 arrests on charges such as resisting, obstructing or delaying, attempted murder, looting and vandalism.

    There’s surely a grand conspiracy in there somewhere. If the feds can’t find one, they’ll invent one.

    DOJ prosecutor Bill Essayli noted the Thursday arrest of a man on charges of conspiracy to commit and aiding and abetting civil disorders for allegedly handing out face shields to rioters. “These violent agitators put peaceful demonstrators at risk,” he said.

    If you believe the feds, every one of them is a hardened murderer in desperate need of deportation. The reality is that most “rioters” are peaceful demonstrators being assaulted with tear gas, flash bangs, and rubber bullets. There is no reason why lawful demonstrators should be denied face protection.

    Feds ‘Tracing Money’ Behind LA Riots In Expanding Probe
    The IRS is

    https://dailycaller.com/2025/06/18/feds-tracing-money-behind-los-angeles-riots-fbi-irs-doj

    Knewz: SEIU President Faces Felony Charge After ICE Protest

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    Knewz.com is reporting that Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President David Huerta has been charged with a felony for allegedly interfering with federal agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Los Angeles. Huerta has been accused of obstructing access to a location under investigation for employing undocumented workers. He was later released on a $50,000 bond. The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions surrounding anti-ICE protests.

    …

    U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli confirmed charges against Huerta for obstructing federal agents, calling it unacceptable. State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez condemned the arrest, citing concerns for workers.

    SEIU President Faces Felony Charge After ICE Protest
    More for You

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/seiu-president-faces-felony-charge-after-ice-protest/ss-AA1GSWfw

    NY Post: ‘Worrying’ footage shows anti-ICE protester doling out tactical gear in Los Angeles as violence escalates

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    Unsettling footage has emerged of an anti-ICE protester brazenly doling out tactical gear to masked agitators in Los Angeles as the violence continues to escalate – despite California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats repeatedly claiming the demonstrations have been largely peaceful.

    The unidentified person was caught on camera dispersing what appeared to be riot shields and gas masks to the crowd from the back of a pickup truck Monday afternoon — just steps from downtown federal buildings.

    Scores of rioters could be seen running toward the truck to grab the masks, which had the brand “Bionic Shield” emblazoned across them, the footage shot by Fox11 showed.

    To whomever was distributing the gas masks and vests, thank you for help to keep the demonstrators safe.

    ‘Worrying’ footage shows anti-ICE protestor doling out tactical gear in LA as violence escalates
    Footage has emerged of an anti-ICE protestor brazenly doling out tactical gear to masked agitators in Los Angeles as the violence continues to escalate.

    https://nypost.com/2025/06/10/us-news/footage-shows-anti-ice-protestor-doling-out-tactical-gear-in-los-angeles