Four individuals accused of spiking a Border Patrol vehicle’s tire were arrested with a tote bag connected to a taxpayer-funded organization tied to Los Angeles protests that eventually exploded into riots.
A Border Patrol vehicle’s tire was punctured Tuesday by a makeshift tire spike during a targeted raid in Van Nuys, California, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The individuals arrested in connection to the attack were caught with a tote bag that featured branding from the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), an organization under GOP investigation after encouraging protests that led to violent riots.
“DHS and its components continue to enforce the law every day in greater Los Angeles even in the face of danger,” a spokesman for the department said Tuesday to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“During the operation, four U.S. citizens placed improvised tire deflation devices on the road and punctured a Border Patrol vehicle’s tire, the DHS spokesperson continued. “Agents were able to identify the suspects and placed them under arrest for obstructing law enforcement.”
CHIRLA, which did not respond to a request for comment from the DCNF, has previously referred to allegations that it’s connected to the riots as “vicious lies.”
Gregory Bovino, the chief of Border Patrol’s operations in the Los Angeles area, confirmed the arrests and posted images of the makeshift tire spike.
Just moments ago in Van Nuys during federal immigration law enforcement operations, 3 subjects attempted to impede & obstruct our efforts, using improvised devices aimed at disabling our vehicles. All three were arrested & now face felony charges. pic.twitter.com/ebiufrWoJT
— USBP Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino (@USBPChiefELC) July 8, 2025
The suspects taken into custody were 43-year-old Jenaro-Ernesto Ayala, 28-year-old Jude Jasmine Jeannine Allard, 54-year-old Sadot Jarnica and 30-year-old Daniel Montenegro, according to Bovino. All individuals face felony charges.
One of the suspects assaulted a Border Patrol agent during their arrest, the DHS spokesperson confirmed to the DCNF.
The four suspects were allegedly in possession of a tote bag with the CHIRLA branding on it, according to an additional image posted online by Bovino. It’s unclear if the bag was used to carry the tire spikes, or had another purpose.
CHIRLA, a taxpayer-funded group that received a significant number of federal grants from the Biden administration, is under investigation by lawmakers for encouraging the protests in Los Angeles that quickly turned violent. Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee in June submitted a letter to the organization, asking if it used federal funds to support violent activity.
CHIRLA was among several groups organizing protests on June 6 against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), demonstrations which evolved into violent riots across Los Angeles for days.
“The [anti-immigration enforcement protests in Los Angeles] quickly turned violent and continued for nearly two weeks,” the House Judiciary letter states. “According to media reports, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) is one of the groups leading and funding the protests.”
“During the Biden-Harris Administration, CHIRLA received taxpayer-funded grants worth nearly $1 million,” the letter continues. “This raises concerns that CHIRLA may be using federal funds to support violent criminal activity that impedes the enforcement of federal immigration law.”
The LA-based group raked in roughly $1 million in federal grants from the Biden administration, according to the House Judiciary Committee. The Trump administration has since terminated some of the grant money and has sought to recoup around $100,000 in unobligated funds provided by the Biden White House.
In June, violent anti-immigration enforcement riots began in Los Angeles and quickly spread across the country.
In response to ICE activity in the area, over 1,000 rioters in Los Angeles surrounded a federal building, assaulted deportation officers, slashed tires and defaced government property in early June, according to the agency. Media footage of the violence captured anti-ICE rioters blocking traffic, defacing public property, setting cars ablaze and brandishing the flags of numerous foreign countries.
The mayhem so far has cost the city roughly $32 million in damages. The Trump administration, which had deployed the National Guard to subdue the violent agitators, announced the approval of disaster aid to California for all the damage caused by the anti-ICE rioters.
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