LA Activist Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Charges for Distributing Face Shields During Anti-ICE Protests

Alejandro Theodoro Orellana, a 29-year-old East Los Angeles man and member of the community group Centro CSO, pleaded not guilty to federal charges of conspiracy and aiding and abetting civil disorder for distributing protective face shields and other items to protesters during an anti-ICE demonstration near a federal building in downtown Los Angeles on June 9. Prosecutors allege that Orellana supplied gear intended to help demonstrators resist non-lethal munitions such as rubber bullets and tear gas, characterizing the recipients as violent rioters rather than peaceful protesters. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli emphasized that Orellana was aiding those who stayed after the assembly was declared unlawful, framing the charges as part of a broader effort to prosecute those interfering with ICE operations. Orellana has no criminal record and is a Marine veteran who works for UPS, and his defense group Centro CSO claims his arrest amounts to political repression targeting his pro-immigrant activism. The trial is set for August 26 in Los Angeles federal court, while Centro CSO continues to organize protests demanding the charges be dropped. This case is among more than a dozen federal prosecutions arising from the June protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles.