Federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 41-year-old Juliana Milena Ojeda-Montoya in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, after she was accused of violently attacking a coworker this summer. Authorities say Ojeda-Montoya illegally entered the U.S. on February 22, 2023, and remained in the country under release.
The incident triggered when officers conducting a traffic stop discovered that Ojeda-Montoya and her husband, Carlos Zapata Rivera, were traveling with their child improperly restrained. During the stop, the couple resisted cooperation even after officers presented an outstanding arrest warrant for Ojeda-Montoya.
Prosecutors allege that earlier this year, Ojeda-Montoya stabbed a coworker with scissors and assaulted the victim with a trash bin in a separate episode of workplace violence. Upon arrest, she was taken into ICE custody pending removal proceedings and currently faces state criminal charges in addition to immigration enforcement.
The Department of Homeland Security says the arrest was executed without incident and emphasized that cooperation between local and federal law enforcement remains central to identifying and removing noncitizens who pose a risk of violence.