Iowa City man arrested in grocery store by plainclothes federal agents Thursday

IOWA CITY — An Iowa City man was arrested Thursday at the Bread Garden Market in the Iowa City Pedestrian Mall by three plainclothes men who — in a bystander video of the incident — identified themselves only as “federal agents.”

The video, which was sent to The Gazette and has been circulated online, shows the arrest of Jorge Elieser Gonzalez Ochoa, a resident of the Iowa City Catholic Worker House, which partners with the nonprofit Escucha Mi Voz to advocate for immigrant rights in Iowa.

Two men in plain clothes are seen in the video tackling Gonzalez Ochoa to the ground and handcuffing him, while bystanders — including the man filming the video — repeatedly ask them to identify themselves. A third plainclothes man then joins the scuffle, holding Gonzalez Ochoa down and putting a taser to his back. One of the men then states that they are federal agents.

Throughout the video, Gonzalez Ochoa, who is wearing a Bread Garden Employee T-shirt, repeatedly calls out “Ayuda,” and “Ayudame” — or “Help,” and “Help me,” in Spanish.

According to Escucha Mi Voz organizers, the arrest happened just before 10:50 a.m., and officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had called Gonzalez Ochoa’s fiancé’s mother shortly before that to ask if Gonzalez Ochoa was home. Organizers believe that the federal agents were ICE officers. The nonprofit identified one of the officers by name in a press release about the arrest, but The Gazette was unable to independently verify his identity.

Gonzalez Ochoa lives in the Catholic Worker House with his fiance and infant son, who is a citizen of the United States. He attended a check-in at the Cedar Rapids ICE office in April, and was given another check-in date in a year, according to Escucha Mi Voz. His fiance and her mother will speak more about him Friday morning at a press conference being organized by the nonprofit.

“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. By storming a local business and terrifying customers, ICE trampled on the dignity and safety of Iowa City residents,” the press release from Escucha Mi Voz reads.

ICE has not responded to a request for comment on the arrest or Gonzalez Ochoa’s immigration status. Bread Garden Market also has not responded to a request for comment.

The City of Iowa City released a statement Thursday afternoon stating that the city 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.

Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague will be speaking at the press conference Friday on the Iowa City Ped Mall Stage, along with Gonzalez Ochoa’s family, other elected officials, and clergy and faith leaders, according to Escucha Mi Voz.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com