A dramatic confrontation broke out Tuesday inside a California medical facility when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents pursued and detained a 30-year-old undocumented man, drawing sharp criticism from clinic staff and immigrant rights advocates.
The incident occurred at the Ontario Advanced Surgery Center when ICE agents, wearing masks and bulletproof vests, approached three landscapers working outside the building. One of the men, identified as Denis Guillen-Solis of Honduras, fled inside the clinic seeking refuge.
“They never identified themselves,” said Javier Hernandez of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice. “They just started chasing him. [Solis] ran inside the clinic to try and find safety.”
Cell phone footage captured the chaos as medical staff in scrubs confronted the agents, demanding they show a warrant and leave the premises. In the video, Solis can be seen clinging to the doorway in tears while agents attempt to pull him away. Staff repeatedly told them they were trespassing on private property without legal authority.
“We kept asking for a badge, a warrant—anything,” said Hernandez. “They offered nothing.”
This isn’t the first time ICE agents have been accused of using aggressive or unmarked tactics during raids. On June 29, officers were filmed in Santa Ana striking a man with a baton during an arrest. Days earlier, another landscaper—reportedly the father of three active-duty Marines—was beaten and detained by DHS agents after allegedly swinging a weed trimmer.
In response to the Ontario incident, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a statement defending the agents’ actions. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said ICE was executing a targeted operation to arrest two individuals “illegally present in the country.”
According to DHS, Solis ran toward the surgical center to evade arrest. The agency accused clinic staff of “assaulting officers,” dragging both an agent and Solis inside, locking the doors, and blocking ICE vehicles—actions the department claims interfered with law enforcement.
Clinic staff reportedly called local police, describing the scene as a “kidnapping.” It’s unclear whether any will face charges for allegedly obstructing the arrest.
Hernandez, however, described the situation as a dangerous overreach of federal power. “This is really scary,” he said. “If we don’t push back, we are watching the erosion of democracy in real-time.”
Solis is currently being held at a federal detention center in downtown Los Angeles. His family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover legal expenses.
