Justice Department moves to dismiss charges against LA man accused of giving ICE protesters face shields

The U.S. Department of Justice moved to dismiss charges against a Los Angeles man arrested by the FBI for allegedly giving face shields to Immigration and Customs Enforcement protesters.

Federal agents arrested Alejandro Theodoro Orellana on June 12 during an early morning raid in East L.A. Following the arrest, Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI field office in LA, said, “Alejandro was providing masks and face shields to violent rioters.”

U.S Attorney Bill Essayli used Orellana’s arrest as an example of efforts to arrest and identify people involved in “organizing and/or supporting civil disorder in Los Angeles,” in a post to X on June 12. 

National guardsmen cordon off an East Los Angeles street early Thursday morning, assisting the FBI with a search warrant.

KCAL News

Orellana faced two felony counts related to civil unrest. He faced a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison if convicted as charged. A judge ordered him to be released on a $5,000 bond a day after his arrest. 

“I’m confident that the justice system will absolve me of any wrongdoing,” Orellana said on June 27 after being released from custody. 

Demonstrations against ICE popped up throughout Southern California in early June after federal agents ramped up immigration raids in L.A. County. At times, the protests turned violent as demonstrators and law enforcement clashed in the streets, most notably in downtown L.A. 

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