SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials released information about an arrest in Sunnyvale that stirred up controversy.
Ulises Pena Lopez, 30, is a citizen of Mexico who entered the United States illegally after he was previously deported, an ICE spokesperson told KRON4. He was arrested by ICE officers on February 21 in Sunnyvale as part of a targeted immigration enforcement operation, the spokesperson said.
On the day of his arrest, federal immigration officers surrounded Lopez outside his home and arrested him “in a violent manner,” the Santa Clara County Democratic Party wrote. His 3-year-old daughter and his wife were at home and watched officers haul Lopez away, family members said.
Lopez lived in Sunnyvale for over a decade, his family said.
On Thursday, an ICE spokesperson told KRON4, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is aware of news and social media accounts with reports on the recent arrest of illegal alien Ulises Pena-Lopez which are inaccurate and not supported by facts.”
According to ICE, officers approached Lopez while he was in his car and he refused to follow officers’ instructions. Eventually, Lopez exited his vehicle and “was fully cooperative as arresting officers took him into custody. Lopez experienced a non-specific medical emergency during the arrest, and an ICE agent initiated emergency medical care until he could be transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital for evaluation,” the spokesperson told KRON4.
Others, including his family members, claim that the officers smashed Lopez’s car window, pulled him out, and violently restrained him while he suffered a panic attack.
ICE officials said Lopez was discharged from the hospital on February 22 after no injuries were found, and ICE immediately took him into custody. According to the Rapid Response Network, he was transported to an ICE detention facility.
Lopez’s brother said deporting him back to Mexico should not be an option. “If they send him back over there, they’re sending him to die,” the brother told KRON4.
According to an ICE spokesperson, Lopez was deported from the United States in 2013, and he illegally re-entered the U.S. at an unknown location on an unknown date.
Federal immigration officials said Lopez has a criminal history in California. The spokesperson said he was convicted of: evading police in November 2016 in San Luis Obispo County; assault with deadly weapon in March 2020 in Santa Clara County; and DUI in September 2020 in Santa Clara County.
Ever since President Donald Trump took office and made promises of mass deportations, ICE’s new slogan is: “The worst first.”
ICE officials said they are enforcing immigration laws against violent criminals, sex offenders, and others who pose a threat to public safety.
SCCDP wrote, “An enforcement policy that would prioritize deporting a person such as Ulises, which would separate him from his family and deprive them of their sole wage earner, is ill conceived and should be reversed. He is a gainfully employed father and husband who was on his way to work, not a criminal or a threat to our community.”
On Thursday, ICE wrote on its X page, “In just one month, ICE arrested over 20K illegal aliens. This is a 627% increase in monthly arrests compared to this period last year.”
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials released information about an arrest in Sunnyvale that stirred up controversy. Ulises Pena Lopez, 30, is a citizen of Mexico who entered the United States illegally after he was previously deported, an ICE spokesperson told KRON4. He was arrested by ICE officers on February […]
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