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The ongoing debate over immigration enforcement took another turn as House Homeland Security Committee Democrats criticized the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. They accused DHS of dishonesty in a Friday post on X, sharing a video with the caption, “DHS will lie. They always do.” The video in question allegedly shows a man experiencing a medical seizure while ICE agents arrest his wife.
The video, which has been circulated by Democrats on X, depicts a man appearing to have a seizure during the arrest of his wife, an Ecuadorian national wanted in connection with a violent stabbing. DHS officials argue that the incident is being misrepresented to tarnish the reputation of law enforcement and provoke hostility. They also mention that this narrative has led to antisemitic threats and misinformation that put federal agents at risk.
The original post shared by the House Homeland Security Committee Democrats accuses ICE agents of assaulting a man by grabbing him by the neck, which allegedly triggered a seizure during the arrest of his wife in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The video shows a toddler sitting on the man’s lap as he sits in the driver’s seat.
The post from the Democrat committee questions the actions of the ICE agents, stating, “Is this right? The WORST OF THE WORST?? Absolutely not. And shame on anyone who says otherwise.”
In response, the Department of Homeland Security quickly issued a detailed statement to clarify the circumstances of the arrest. Tricia McLaughlin, DHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs, explained that the operation was a targeted enforcement action aimed at Juliana Milena-Ojeda-Montoya, an Ecuadorian national who had illegally entered the United States in 2023 near Lukeville, Arizona, and was later released under the Biden administration.
In short order, the Department of Homeland Security issued a stern rebuttal providing clarification regarding the circumstances of the arrest. According to DHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin, the arrest was a targeted enforcement action of Juliana Milena-Ojeda-Montoya, a criminal illegal alien from Ecuador who was released into the United States in 2023 under the Biden administration after she entered illegally near Lukeville, Arizona.
According to McLaughlin, Ojeda-Montoya was the subject of an arrest warrant related to her illegal status. According to McLaughlin, Ojeda-Montoya repeatedly stabbed a coworker with scissors and threw a trash can at her victim in August. When Ojeda was encountered, her toddler child was seated in her lap, improperly secured in the vehicle at the time.
During the arrest, Ojeda-Montoya refused to hand the child to her husband, also an illegal alien according to DHS. McLaughlin explained that her illegal alien husband began to feign a medical emergency, appearing to violently shake as if having a seizure, as his wife was being arrested.
Agitators gathered and began to shout obscenities at agents during the arrest, prompting ICE to request additional assistance from the Fitchburg Police Department. According to a DHS press release, the crowd also shouted out death threats and antisemitic remarks at the ICE agents. According to DHS, the crowd shouted, “You probably support Israel too…you look like a Jew… I bet you are a f***ing Jew,” and “I’m going to remember those eyes…I’m going to find you… I’m going to come for you… I know you probably have kids… We’re going to kill you and your kids… I am going to shoot all of you.”
In a press release issued shortly afterward, the Fitchburg Police Department defended their actions during the incident saying, “The role of the Fitchburg Police Department in this type of situation is to keep the peace, keeping the peace includes making sure both the public as a whole as well as the federal law enforcement agents are safe.”
City of Fitchburg
At the conclusion of the incident, DHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs says the medical personnel summoned to assist the woman’s illegal alien husband found no evidence of a legitimate medical emergency, and the man refused medical attention. The man and his toddler son were released.
According to DHS, Ojeda-Montoya was transported to Cumberland County Jail in Scarborough, Maine, and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
