The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is addressing claims that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents failed to identify themselves while detaining undocumented immigrants at a surgical center in Southern California earlier this week.
In a post on X, the DHS stated:
ICE officials conducted targeted enforcement operations to arrest two undocumented individuals. An officer wearing a clearly marked ICE bulletproof vest approached one of the individuals as he left his vehicle. Dennis Gillen Solis, originally from Honduras, attempted to flee on foot to evade law enforcement. He later confronted officers near the Ontario Advanced Surgery Centre, where hospital staff also became involved, attacking both law enforcement and the individuals being targeted.
According to reports, staff attempted to obstruct the arrests by locking doors and hindering law enforcement’s actions, claiming that the officers were engaging in a “trick.”
The chaotic event took place on Tuesday at the Ontario Advanced Surgery Centre, situated about 30 miles east of Los Angeles. Commentary by the Associated Press has been shared by the advocacy group Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice.
Javier Hernandez, who claimed to be a gardener outside the facility, was approached by ICE agents during this incident.
Inside the surgical center, staff demanded to see a warrant from ICE, according to reports. One staff member was heard saying, “Take your hand off him,” urging the agents to release the individual. “Let him go. You need to leave.”
This incident raised questions on a nursing website about the legality of ICE entering medical facilities. The hospital indicated that while a policy from 2011 was in place, protections labeling such locations as “sensitive” zones have been lifted since the Trump administration.
Southern California has been the scene of several high-profile protests regarding ICE activities, which started with a riot in downtown Los Angeles last month. In the wake of that unrest, President Trump sent National Guard troops to the area.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass recently intervened as demonstrators confronted Border Patrol agents in downtown MacArthur Park, a location with a history of drug-related issues. She insisted that the agents should be withdrawn, even as troops were dispatched to ensure the safety of the departing officers and children in the park.
Additioanlly, protesters clashed with federal agents recently during an ICE operation at a marijuana farm in Ventura County, which allegedly employed undocumented workers.
