1,000 signatures reached
To: Governor Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta
ICE Accountability: Justice for Carlos Mendoza
ATTN
The Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
The Office of Attorney General Rob Bonta
The Office of Senator Adam Schiff
The Office of Senator Alex Padilla
The Office of Representative Josh Harder
The Office of Representative Adam Gray
The Office of Representative Doris Matsui
The Office of Representative Ilhan Omar
The Office of Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez
The Office of Representative Summer Lee
The Office of Representative Adriano Espaillat
The following letter is addressed to elected officials across California, who we ask for your support as constituents, and to elected officials across the country who we ask to join us in the calls for justice for Carlos Mendoza.
The morning of Tuesday, April 7, 2026, federal immigration agents opened fire on my fiancée, Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, in our hometown of Patterson, California. ICE agents brutally and unjustly shot several rounds at Carlos, leaving him with life-threatening injuries. For weeks, we didn’t know how many bullets were shot; or even where all of the bullets hit until I saw the wounds in person at a detention facility. Carlos is a father, a fiancée, a friend, a neighbor, and a Californian who has been treated with a level of indignity I did not know was possible.
His family has little to no access to reliable information about his condition, the specific circumstances of April 7, and the future of his safety. While in custody, Carlos has been transferred at least five times to facilities all over the state of California, all without notice to the people who love him. Carlos deserves better. Our communities deserve better. We live in fear of the violence that Carlos faced. I pen this letter as Carlos’ loving fiancée, Cindy, joined by the signatures below representing Americans outraged by our family’s story.
We, the undersigned, have several asks. Requests that are not only possible, but truly the baseline of human dignity.
- We request that Carlos Mendoza’s medical records and treatment plan be released to Carlos’ family.
- We request a full and accurate account of the incidents of April 7. How many shots were fired, how many officers fired them, and how many bullets hit Carlos, and where.
- We request the release of the full, untrimmed video of the shooting, including audio, which the FBI currently has access to.
- We request footage from the two cars that captured video, street cameras, and any additional footage captured on April 7.
- We request an explanation for why Carlos was transferred between facilities.
- We request an explanation for any coordination between ICE and the Turlock Police Department.
- We request an explanation for why Carlos was released from an intensive care unit, before he was healthy enough to be outside of a medical facility.
- We request a procedure for how families can contact family members detained by the California City Detention Center, the facility where Carlos is currently being held.
This letter is addressed to you because you have the power to deliver justice for our family. We are lost, begging for information, and picking up bread crumbs. We know that Carlos’ case is not unique. The violence that our family has faced is not unique. We need more transparency, more accountability, and safer futures for our community.
I trust that you hear us. We are happy to be in conversation with you at any time in reference to these requests or Carlos’ case in general.
Why is this important?
Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez, loving fiancé and devoted father to a little girl, was shot 7 times by ICE agents in Patterson, California. The FBI and DHS have access to multiple angles of video footage, but they won’t release it to us. The DHS accused him of being a violent gang member, but then retracted the statements once they were questioned about it.
Carlos was released directly from the ICU to the FBI, and he has been transferred between 5 detention facilities and has not received proper medical treatment. He is unable to eat because he was shot in the mouth, the gunshot wound on his arm almost got infected, and they have only been giving him painkillers.
He is now being charged with weaponizing his vehicle to hurt ICE officers, when in reality, he was just trying to get away from the agents who were shooting at him. They tried to kill him and it didn’t work, so now they’re punishing him. Carlos and his family desperately need YOUR help.
Carlos was released directly from the ICU to the FBI, and he has been transferred between 5 detention facilities and has not received proper medical treatment. He is unable to eat because he was shot in the mouth, the gunshot wound on his arm almost got infected, and they have only been giving him painkillers.
He is now being charged with weaponizing his vehicle to hurt ICE officers, when in reality, he was just trying to get away from the agents who were shooting at him. They tried to kill him and it didn’t work, so now they’re punishing him. Carlos and his family desperately need YOUR help.