‘Federal agents’ arrest Colombian immigrant, Iowa City resident
A bystander recorded a video of Jorge Gonzalez, a Colombian immigrant, being wrestled down and handcuffed at a grocery store in Iowa City.
A resident of Iowa City’s Catholic Worker House and employee of the downtown Bread Garden Market was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed by plainclothes officers who identified themselves as “federal agents.”
A nearly three-minute video depicting the incident shows the man, Jorge Gonzalez, dressed in Adidas sweatpants and a Bread Garden Market shirt, being pulled from an exit, wrestled to the ground and handcuffed in the middle of the store by three plainclothes individuals.
According to Escucha Mi Voz, an immigrant worker rights group, the incident occurred around 11 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25.
Gonzalez immigrated from Colombia in November 2024, Escucha Mi Voz organizer David Goodner said. He had a routine check-in with immigration officials in April and he will turn 28 on Oct. 7.
Gonzalez doesn’t have any criminal record in Johnson County, according to the Iowa Courts online database.
In the video, Gonzalez appears tense as he resists the officers’ attempts to handcuff him. Bystanders, including the person taking the video, repeatedly ask, “Are you ICE or a cop?” Another individual asks who the agents are with, and one responds, “federal agents.”
In a statement, Escucha Mi Voz referred to the men as ICE agents.
The agents do not have any other interaction with the bystanders during the nearly three-minute video clip shared with the Press-Citizen and circulated online.
As Gonzalez is on the ground and repeatedly says, “ayuda,” Spanish for “help,” one of the agents pulls out a taser and places it near the center of Gonzalez’s back. The agents eventually get him in handcuffs.
The agent who pulled out his taser holsters it, then reveals a necklace-worn badge from underneath his shirt, but it’s unclear from the video exactly what agency the badge is for.
With some resistance, Gonzalez is pulled outside into the alley, just south of Bread Garden Market, where he is placed into an unmarked, tinted Dodge Caravan minivan. The vehicle has normal Iowa license plates and is registered in Linn County.
The City of Iowa City was not involved in the incident and did not have advance knowledge, according to a city press release.
Iowa City Police were dispatched to Bread Garden Market for a “disturbance in progress,” and the federal law enforcement action was concluded before the officers’ arrival.
In an email to the Press-Citizen, Bread Garden Market owner Jim Mondanaro stated that the agents entered the store unannounced, and the store contacted the Iowa City Police Department during the “disturbance.”
“The incident was disturbing and frightening, and our priority at this time is supporting all of our employees and guests. We want the Bread Garden Market to be a place where all people in our wonderfully diverse community feel safe and welcome,” stated Mondanaro in the email.
Immigration rights group condemns ‘kidnapping’
Escucha Mi Voz, the Iowa City-based immigrant worker organization, demanded the “immediate release” of Gonzalez.
Gonzalez lives at Iowa City’s Catholic Worker House with his wife and children, according to Escucha Mi Voz. In a statement, Escucha Mi Voz said that Gonzalez had been “abducted” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials as part of an “unprovoked and dangerous” action by federal law enforcement.
Alejandra Escobar, an Escucha Mi Voz organizer and a Colombian immigrant, said ICE agents “used excessive force” to detain Gonzalez “in the middle of a busy grocery store.” Escobar said ICE needs to end the use of “violent tactics” that “put our communities at risk.”
Escucha Mi Voz’s statement identified one of the ICE agents by name and said he was a resident of Cedar Rapids, though the Press-Citizen could not independently verify his identity.
Escobar said that Escucha Mi Voz stands with Gonzalez, Bread Garden Market employees and customers and all immigrants, who deserve to “live and work with dignity and justice.”
“This reckless action is an attack not only on Jorge and his family, but on our entire community. Immigration enforcement has no place in grocery stores, schools, churches, or neighborhoods,” Escobar said. “By storming a local business and terrifying customers, ICE trampled on the dignity and safety of Iowa City residents.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Gonzalez, or confirmation that its agents had been involved in his detention.
Escucha Mi Voz will be holding a press conference at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 26 at the Iowa City Ped Mall Fountain Stage to “denounce ICE’s dangerous and unprovoked abduction of Jorge Elieser González Ochoa,” according to a Thursday afternoon press release.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This story was updated to add new information.
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