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Iowa City community gathers in support of man publicly arrested by immigration officers this week
Family members, elected officials and faith leaders denounced Gonzalez Ochoa’s arrest and the way it was carried out
Sep. 26, 2025 5:28 pm
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
IOWA CITY — Laura Castro was shocked and overwhelmed Thursday when she saw the video a bystander recorded of her fiancee, Jorge Gonzalez Ochoa, being tackled by three plainclothes men — who identified themselves as federal agents — and put in handcuffs while he was working at the Bread Garden Market in Iowa City.
“He doesn’t break the law. We’ve never had a problem with the law. I don’t understand why they took him while he was at work, and I don’t understand why they did it in such a violent way, without even identifying themselves, without even showing him a badge. I don’t understand why everything has happened this way,” Castro told The Gazette, in Spanish, after a rally Friday in Iowa City.
The rally took place at the Iowa City Ped Mall Friday morning and drew hundreds of attendees. It was organized by Escucha Mi Voz, an Iowa City nonprofit that promotes immigrant rights in Iowa, as an opportunity for Castro and her mother to speak to community members about Gonzalez Ochoa’s arrest. Organizers from the nonprofit have spoken out against the public arrest, calling it a “raid” and an “abduction.”
“ICE’s actions were reckless and disgraceful,” Alejandra Escobar, a member of Escucha Mi Voz said during the rally. “Jorge has committed no crime. Jorge has done nothing wrong. Immigrants deserve to live and work with dignity and justice.”
In a video of the arrest that’s been shared widely online, bystanders repeatedly ask the plainclothes officers to identify themselves, and the officers eventually say they are “federal agents.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement later confirmed to The Gazette that the men were ICE officers, stating in an email that the arrest was a “lawful, intelligence driven enforcement action.”
ICE’s response to questions from The Gazette also said Gonzalez Ochoa is under criminal investigation for fraud, but declined to state on the record under what jurisdiction he is being investigated. A search of Iowa Courts Online and Pacer — the online court system for federal charges — shows that no charges have been filed against Gonzalez Ochoa.
Gonzalez Ochoa attended a check-in appointment at the Cedar Rapids ICE office in April. He was told at the time that he wouldn’t have to return for another check-in for one year, but he was given an ankle monitor, which he was wearing when the ICE officers arrested him Thursday.
“Officers identified themselves to both the business managers and Gonzalez, and despite interference from agitators, they executed the arrest professionally and in full compliance with the law,” the statement sent to The Gazette reads.
“Claims that this lawful action was unprovoked, dangerous, or akin to an abduction are false, reckless, and irresponsible. Such inflammatory rhetoric endangers ICE officers and agents and misleads the public. Despite baseless accusations and provocations, ICE officers remain committed to enforcing laws written by Congress and protecting communities with professionalism and integrity, regardless of race, religion, or nationality.”
Jim Mondanaro, the owner of the Bread Garden Market, said that the ICE agents entered the store unannounced. Store employees contacted the Iowa City Police Department when the officers tackled Gonzalez Ochoa, which can be seen in the bystander video happening before the officers identified themselves as federal agents.
“The incident was disturbing and frightening, and our priority at this time is supporting all of our employees and guests,” Mondanaro said in an email to The Gazette. “We want the Bread Garden Market to be a place where all people in our wonderfully diverse community feel safe and welcome.”
After being arrested, Gonzalez Ochoa was transported to the Linn County Jail, which contracts with federal agencies, including ICE, to house federal inmates. Castro said she was able to speak with Gonzalez Ochoa over the phone, and he told her that he has been asking to go to a doctor to get checked out because of bruises and other injuries he sustained during the arrest.
Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner told The Gazette in an email that Gonzalez Ochoa “has met with medical staff and is being provided appropriate medical care while in our custody.”
Couple fled Colombia in search of better life for their child
Gonzalez Ochoa and Castro arrived in Iowa in October 2024, after leaving their home country of Colombia to seek out better opportunities for their son, who was born shortly after they arrived in the United States and who is a United States citizen.
“In Colombia, there aren’t opportunities. I got pregnant. He had a small business, and there was extortion. We went to Panama and ran into the same problems, and from there we came to the United States, because we had a baby on the way and we wanted better for him,” Castro said, in Spanish.
Castro spoke to the crowd of supporters Friday through a translator, telling them about how lonely she felt standing there with her son, and without Gonzalez Ochoa.
“We come here to find better opportunities, but they just separate us from our families,” she said, through a translator. “I’m here today because I don’t want this to happen again. I want them to stop violating our rights as immigrants.”
Castro’s mother, Eva Castro, also spoke, emphasizing the family’s surprise upon seeing the video of Gonzalez Ochoa’s arrest.
“What happened was so violent. It is so hard to see the videos, to see the trauma that was endured,” she said through a translator. “We left our country. We left persecution. We left violence, and we’re supposed to be here in a safe place.”
Iowa City mayor among those denouncing Thursday’s arrest
Several elected officials and clergy members also spoke at the rally, including Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague, who expressed outrage at the arrest.
“He has no criminal record. His baby boy is a U.S. citizen. He was not taken from a dark alley. Not from a hidden corner, but in broad daylight, in the middle of a grocery store, where families, children, were shopping. This was not routine enforcement. It was aggressive, and it was uncalled-for,” Teague said during the rally. “Abducting a worker in the middle of the grocery store doesn’t speak to the kindness that we all talk about here in Iowa. It doesn’t display what we know as a community in Iowa City. We are a city that loves. We are a city that stands together.”
The City of Iowa City released a statement Thursday afternoon that said it did not have advanced knowledge of the arrest and was not involved. Iowa City Police were called to Bread Garden as the arrest was happening for a report of a disturbance, but by the time police arrived the federal agents had already left with Gonzalez Ochoa.
“Because the City had no prior knowledge and was not directly involved with this incident, all questions should be directed to federal authorities,” the release states.
Hundreds of community members came out to the rally to show support for Gonzalez Ochoa and his family. Kirsten Brooks, one of the attendees, said that she has been following along with Escucha Mi Voz’s efforts in Iowa since the deportation of Pascual Pedro Pedro — a West Liberty resident who was deported earlier this year — and she was proud to be able to attend the Friday event.
“I’ve spent some time in different Latin American countries, and Spain, so issues of immigration — and particularly the Latino community — has always been very close to my heart,” Brooks said. “There’s so much othering that happens in our culture, and I think a lot of the current polarization is because of this us-versus-them mentality. When you have a chance to actually interact with people and get to know them and see what their hopes and dreams and struggles and frustrations are, you can’t just look away.”
Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com
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