A man publicly arrested by plainclothes immigration officials in an Iowa City market has pleaded guilty to misusing immigration and social security documents.
Jorge Elisier González Ochoa, 28, admitted in court documents filed on Friday, Feb. 13, that he entered the United States illegally in late 2024. He said that by May 2025, he was using a “permanent residency card” and a Social Security number that belonged to someone named Elijah Rodriguez.
González’s use of Rodriguez’s information was “for the purpose of obtaining for himself anything of value, namely unlawful employment,” court documents said.
González was an employee of Bread Garden Market at the time of his arrest.
Two additional charges, use of an immigration identification document that was not lawfully issued and false representation of a social security document, were dropped as part of González’s plea.
The court has not yet set a sentencing date.
Iowa City man’s plea ends monthslong legal battle
González was arrested by plainclothes officials who declined to identify themselves to bystanders in downtown Iowa City’s Bread Garden Market in September 2025.
Escucha Mi Voz Iowa said the arrest was a “kidnapping,” citing the “random nature” of the arrest and the use of an unmarked van to transport González. The arrest sparked large protests in Iowa City alongside cries to “Free Jorge Now!”
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson later said González’s arrest was “a lawful, intelligence-driven enforcement action.” The spokesperson also said officers identified themselves to business managers and González, though Bread Garden Market owner Jim Mondanaro told the Press-Citizen the agents entered the store “unannounced.”
González was not charged with a crime until two weeks after his arrest. A federal grand jury indicted him on Oct. 9 on charges that he misused immigration and social security documents, according to court documents.
González was held in jail for several months
While awaiting trial in December, Federal Magistrate Judge Stephen Lochler ordered that González be released from the Muscatine County Jail the next morning. At 9:59 a.m. on Dec. 23, one minute before the deadline to release González, ICE sent an arrest warrant and an order to detain him.
González was eventually released to his family on Jan. 9.
In the plea agreement, the government argued that González should remain in custody, while acknowledging prior orders for his release.
The court had not yet accepted the plea as of Feb. 17. González was set to go to federal trial on March 2.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa man pleads guilty to fraud, improper use of SSN after ICE arrest
Reporting by Ryan Hansen, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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