ICE defends its February 2025 arrest and detention of Ulises Peña Lopez, describing the Sunnyvale resident as a violent criminal.
Peña Lopez was arrested by ICE in February 2025 and deported to Mexico in November, spending time in two private prisons — “detention centers.” In July 2026, his family sued ICE, DHS and prison companies GEO Group and CoreCivic, alleging battery, verbal abuse and medical neglect— leaving Peña Lopez crippled with damaged hearing and vision.
ICE Tells a Different Story
In a statement to SVVoice, ICE described the arrest differently and left specific allegations of physical abuse unaddressed.
“Peña Lopez initially did not comply with officers’ repeated instructions to exit the vehicle, but when officers attempted to extract him, Peña Lopez complied without incident. After being taken into custody, Peña Lopez experienced a medical emergency, was transported to a hospital and treated.”
The lawsuit alleges Peña Lopez left his truck voluntarily and was beaten by officers, first outside his home and then in a nearby alley, until he lost consciousness.
ICE says that Peña Lopez “has convictions in the United States for assault with a deadly weapon with great bodily injury, contempt of court for violation of a restraining order, DUI, and traffic infractions,” and that he was previously deported in 2013.
But ICE described Peña Lopez’s record differently to Palo Alto Online, saying that convictions were for “terroristic threats, domestic violence, cruelty towards a child, DUI, aggravated assault with a weapon, and contempt of court.”
ICE did not provide case numbers, dates, or jurisdictions for any of the convictions in these statements, and SVVoice hasn’t been able to locate court records matching either version.
Peña Lopez’s attorneys acknowledge that their client has a record, but dispute ICE’s characterization of it. Attorney Laura Murchie of Disability Law United described the record as misdemeanor assault charges, for which he received a suspended sentence.
“Whether someone has a criminal conviction or not, nothing justifies state violence,” said Murchie.
Peña Lopez came to the United States in 2013 fleeing violence in Mexico, according to the lawsuit, and has worked since then as a union carpenter. His immigration status is not addressed in ICE’s statement, and his attorneys say he had an active immigration petition.
CoreCivic Says Safety, Health and Well-Being is “Top Priority”
CoreCivic, which operates the California City Detention Center where Peña Lopez was held after leaving GEO Group’s Golden State Annex, declined to comment directly on the lawsuit, citing company policy.
In a statement to SVVoice, Senior Director of Public Affairs Ryan Gustin defended the company’s treatment of detainees generally.
“The safety, health and well-being of the people in our facilities is our top priority,” Gustin wrote.
“We take seriously our responsibility to adhere to all applicable detention standards and policies that our government partners expect of us at our California City facility. An onsite ICE Detention Standards Compliance Officer ensures we follow their strict standards and policies. All our facilities are subject to robust oversight and accountability measures.”
The facility’s onsite health services team, said Gustin, “takes seriously their responsibility to provide high-quality healthcare, available 24/7,” following “both CoreCivic’s standards for medical care and the standards set forth by our government partners.”
He outlined specifics: detainees have daily access to care, including mental health services. The clinic is staffed with licensed professionals, who Gustin said, “contractually meet the highest standards of care.”
“Prescription medication is managed either by the health team or by detainees themselves, depending on the type,” and offsite care was “coordinated” when needed. Further, “Our facility staff work to ensure that [disability] accommodations are provided,” said Gustin.
He also said that CoreCivic provides “three nutritious meals a day,” accommodating special diets and cultural tastes. “Many of our employees eat these same meals at the facility,” he added.
“Our responsibility is to care for each person respectfully and humanely while they receive the legal due process that they are entitled to,” he said. “Our staff are held to the highest ethical standards as part of our commitment to our Human Rights Policy.”
External Monitor Disagrees with CoreCivic Representations
A court-ordered external monitor’s report (tinyurl.com/californiacity-med-rpt) in a similar lawsuit,* rated medical care at the California City Detention Center “non-compliant” in every category. This includes staffing, intake screening, initial medical appraisals, specialist access, emergency services, continuity of care, medication access, the sick-call system, plus sub-areas like mental health, chronic disease management, dental care, disability accommodations, and infectious disease control.
“Based on the review, the facility lacks a reliable system to consistently provide adequate
health care, placing individuals at serious risk of both immediate and long-term harm,” the monitor, Dr. Muthusamy Anandkumar, wrote.
The 54-page report detailed denied prescription refills, unaddressed sick calls, grievances denied as unfounded, insufficient emergency care, archaic psychiatric care, with “acutely ill patients … held in single cells under custody-staff observation” and a gym being used as “a makeshift clinical space for health services.”
*Ruiz et al v. U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement et al, available at pacer.gov.
Carolyn Schuk can be reached at carolyn@santaclaraweekly.com.