Jul 7, 2026·Sunnyvale, CA·Mexico
Ulises Peña López, a 30-year-old Mexican carpenter living with multiple severe medical conditions including a mini-stroke diagnosed in August 2024, a blood clot in his neck, heart condition, spinal disorder, and knee injuries, was arrested by ICE officers in Sunnyvale, California on February 21, 2025. According to a federal lawsuit filed by Disability Law United and Pangea Legal Services, ICE agents smashed his car window and physically assaulted him during the arrest, beating him in an alleyway until he lost consciousness and required CPR, with his wife Aby and young daughter witnessing part of the assault. He was hospitalized and allegedly shackled to his bed. His wife told Telemundo: "He can't feel half of his face, it's numb, as well as his right hand and arm, and right now he feels tingling in his right leg and foot." During his eight months in ICE detention at facilities operated by GeoGroup and CoreCivic, he allegedly received inadequate medical care, was denied disability accommodations and access to necessary medication, and was mocked by staff, including being told he would "never walk again." Immigration attorney Elena Hodges stated: "From the violent and illegal circumstances of the arrest, to denials of access to necessary medication, appropriate medical care, food, and water, to the ongoing denial of access to counsel and the use of solitary confinement, ICE's abuses are ongoing." He was deported to Mexico in October 2025. Peña López told KQED: "What I want more than anything, I can't get back: to recover my health, to be with my wife and daughter, and to be able to work again."