While local press initially reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “shot someone” in California, the real story is that officers stopped an illegal alien who was part of a foreign terrorist organization, and they had to defend themselves after he weaponized his vehicle in a potentially deadly attack.
The KTVU headline was “Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers shot someone in Patterson, Calif., leading to the partial closure of the I-5 freeway in Stanislaus County, the sheriff announced on Tuesday.” Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin quickly clarified that someone with a bullet in him did everything he could to deserve that bullet.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons shared a statement with Melugin to provide details on the traffic stop, which resulted in the partial freeway closure. “On April 7, 2026, ICE officers were conducting a targeted vehicle stop in Patterson, CA to arrest Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, an 18th Street Gang member wanted in El Salvador for questioning in connection to a murder,” Lyons began.
He added, “As officers approached the car, the wanted gang member weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run an officer over. Following their training, our officers fired defensive shots to protect themselves, their fellow agents, and the public.” It is not clear if Hernandez received more than one bullet wound.
And as always, the immigration officers put in an effort to save the life of the man who was just trying to murder them. “The illegal alien was taken to a local hospital. The FBI is on the scene. This is a developing situation and we will update the public when more information is available,” Lyons concluded.
The 18th Street Gang or Barrio 18 is not simply a criminal organization. In September, President Donald Trump officially declared it was a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) organization. Barrio 18 is one of the biggest gangs in the Western Hemisphere and has terrorized citizens and public officials from the USA to El Salvador to Guatemala to Honduras.
Related: ICE Boston Arrests 5 Illegal Alien Murderers With Interpol Notices
Hence, the illegal alien shot in California is not only in our country in violation of our laws and wanted in connection with a murder, but he is also a member of a designated terrorist organization. The question is, how many outlets that initially reported ICE shot “someone” will now update their readers with the full story about how he is a foreign terrorist who committed what could have been a deadly attack on officers?
As of the start of this year, assaults on ICE were up by 1347%, and 2025 closed out with a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks on ICE. This is why it is so important to report accurately on such incidents as the encounter with Hernandez.
Hernandez’s attack and arrest come right after ICE’s Boston branch reported arresting five illegal aliens with international warrants or Interpol Red Notices for murder. Federal immigration officers are literally dealing with killers on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. And yet Democrats continue to hold up funding for ICE and Border Patrol, all to protect the sort of human debris who commit crimes in their home countries, travel here to commit more crimes, and leave a trail of bodies in their wake.
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