Illegal Immigrant Rams ICE Vehicle During Attempted Traffic Stop in Phoenix

Another incident of violence has occurred against immigration enforcement this week.
Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were hospitalized following the incident. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will determine whether to file charges in the case.

An ICE vehicle was hit in a Phoenix suburb by a vehicle driven by an illegal immigrant during an attempted traffic stop.

21-year-old William Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, fled from ICE agents on Wednesday morning around 8:00 a.m., in Avondale.

Hernandez’s wife, Charlyn Flores, contradicted the reports from officials; she claimed he didn’t hit ICE’s vehicle but that ICE hit his vehicle.

“They were the ones that rammed into him,” Charlyn Flores told reporters. “Out of nowhere came a black car and at high speed it went and crashed into my husband.”

Doorbell footage from a neighbor of the family published by ABC 15 depicts Hernandez’s white truck driving into the front of a stationary black ICE vehicle. A significant amount of glare from the sun makes it difficult to determine the condition of the ICE vehicle leading up to Hernandez’s truck hitting it, though it appears the ICE vehicle had some damage to it.

The founder of the Scottsdale-based nonprofit People First Project (PFP), Clarissa Vela, told ABC 15 that the law enforcement response to Hernandez was over the top. Vail also shared that their nonprofit was fundraising to provide legal defense for Hernandez and his family.

“They came with the theatrics, they brought a tank and all this craziness,” said Vela.
The FBI allowed Vela and PFP to assist in negotiations with the Hernandez-Flores family during the standoff.

PFP tracks and shares information about ICE activity and whereabouts around the Valley. They then deploy Rapid Response Teams to areas where ICE activity occurs. Since the removal of tracking apps from app stores, illegal immigrants and their advocates are relying on websites like “iceout.org.”

“F**k Tom Homan. F**k ICE,” said Vela on a post advising illegal immigrants how to avoid ICE.

Other social media posts by Vela through PFP’s page show her and possibly other activists following immigration enforcement throughout the Valley and posting their last known locations.

Among the partners listed for the PFP is the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office, along with Civic Engagement Beyond Voting, Latino Indigenous Coalition of Arizona, Green Card Guys Law Group, AZ Impact for Good, and Sahara Programs.

People First Project also advocates for Palestine and LGBTQ+ rights.

The Department of Homeland Security southwest regional director, Yasmeen O’Keefe, reported that Hernandez rammed into an officer’s vehicle before fleeing on foot into the home he shared with Flores, where he barricaded himself.

Flores and her two-year-old son are U.S. citizens, per AZ Mirror reporting. Hernandez and the two others that live with them — Flores’ mother and Hernandez’s uncle Abel Ochoa — are illegal immigrants.

Flores claimed that Hernandez entered the U.S. illegally as a minor around a decade ago. Both Hernandez’s mother and younger brother were deported two months ago to Mexico, though both were also natives of Honduras like Hernandez.

Flores told AZ Family that Hernandez and Ochoa had work permits despite not having documentation to be in the U.S.

The standoff at the Flores-Hernandez home lasted about five hours before the family agreed to be taken in for questioning. Hernandez and Ochoa were detained.