Santa Ana woman says federal agents maced her, broke her tooth outside federal building

A Santa Ana woman says federal agents maced her, tackled her and broke one of her teeth while she was monitoring ICE activity outside the federal building in Santa Ana early Thursday, Oct. 8.

Jackie Cordova, 54, is a U.S. citizen. She says roughly eight to 12 federal vehicles surrounded the area near Civic Center Drive at about 4:45 a.m.

Her account

Cordova says she feared for her safety and ran. According to her account, agents chased her, sprayed her with mace and slammed her against a wall, leaving her face bloodied and a tooth broken.

She says she was then arrested, fingerprinted and held for about five hours before being released around 9:45 a.m. A close-up photo in the post shows a chipped front tooth and a cut lower lip.

About 20 people later gathered outside the federal building to protest her arrest.

What officials say

The Department of Homeland Security has not publicly explained what led to the confrontation. Santa Ana officials said they had no information about the incident.

Juice Unlocked has not independently confirmed Cordova's account.

Background

The federal building in Santa Ana's Civic Center has been the site of repeated clashes over immigration enforcement. In June 2025, at least 10 people were arrested after a protest against immigration raids outside the federal building turned chaotic and police declared an unlawful assembly, ABC7 reported. The city said federal agents had used tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets.

In January 2026, a protester identified only as "K." was hurt in a clash with federal agents on the steps of the Santa Ana federal building, NBC Los Angeles reported. Friends said he suffered a serious eye injury, and video showed agents grabbing him by the collar and dragging him into the building. DHS said two officers were injured and two protesters were charged with assault on a federal officer and disorderly conduct.

The Santa Ana Police Department said it was not involved in that incident. "Federal agencies right now have little to no discussion with our local agencies," Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento told NBC Los Angeles.