ICE agents detain landscaper inside Ontario surgical clinic

ONTARIO, Calif. (KABC) -- An immigration enforcement operation at Ontario Advanced Surgical Center in Ontario is drawing criticism from immigrant rights advocates, after a landscaper was taken into custody during what witnesses called a tense encounter.

The arrest happened Tuesday morning when an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) entered the private facility to detain 30-year-old Dennis Guillen, a landscaper originally from Honduras.

Javier Hernandez, executive director of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, said clinic staff called his organization's rapid response team as the arrest unfolded.

Staff members began documenting the incident, repeatedly demanding to see a warrant.

"They were able to assert their rights," Hernandez said. "This is private property. They had every right to ask, 'Who are you? Show us your badge.'"

A brief cellphone video clip shared on social media shows clinic staff confronting the agent, saying, "You guys need a warrant to come in here."

Despite those objections, Guillen was detained and taken away. His family says they have only heard from him once since the arrest, during a short phone call in which he said he was in downtown Los Angeles. His current location is unknown.

"All they've heard from him was that one call," Hernandez said. "That's all he was able to tell them."

In a statement to Eyewitness News, the Department of Homeland Security said ICE agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation to arrest two undocumented migrants, including Guillen. The agency also accused clinic staff of interfering with the operation.

According to DHS, "Hospital staff assaulted law enforcement.... Then, the staff attempted to obstruct the arrest by locking the door, blocking law enforcement vehicles from moving, and even called the cops claiming there was a 'kidnapping.'"

However, the publicly released video of the incident does not show any assault on officers.

Hernandez called the arrest unjust and accused ICE of racial profiling.

"If you are just coming after someone that's gardening and that is your only probable cause to actually go after them," he said.

Guillen came to the U.S. several years ago and has been sending money home to support his mother in Honduras, who is on dialysis. His mother relies on the money he sends every week, Hernandez said.

Guillen's family has launched a GoFundMe campaign in hopes of hiring an immigration attorney. Advocacy groups say their immediate priority is locating him and determining whether he has legal options to remain in the country.

ICE has not released information on Guillen's current detention location or arrest.