Ayah A. Sarsour is an attorney with the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California.
Case
ICE officer Eusebio Ortiz shot Carlos Jimenez during an immigration operation in Ontario. The government says Jimenez reversed toward an officer; his lawyers say he was leaving. Court filings exposed evidence and interview disputes.
Role at the time: Deputy federal public defender for Carlos Jimenez
Statement summary
Sarsour’s defense filing called the traffic stop aggressive and Ortiz’s use of near-lethal force improper.
“This case is yet another matter stemming from an aggressive ICE traffic stop and interaction with the public that resulted in catastrophic consequences and the subsequent filing of an unsupportable criminal charge. Indeed, this case fits a recent and endemic national pattern of ICE using aggressive traffic stop techniques and then employing the improper use of near-lethal force against an American citizen.”
The filing directly condemns the tactics and force used in the encounter.
Statement dates: April 9, 2026
Statement dates: April 9, 2026
Statement dates: April 9, 2026
Statement dates: April 9, 2026
