Case dismissed for man arrested in Virginia ICE operation
Jose Espinoza-Espinoza
(Douglas County Jail)
DULUTH, Minn. – The criminal case against Jose Espinoza-Espinoza, accusing him of “assaulting, resisting, or impeding a Federal Officer,” has been dismissed.
Espinoza-Espinoza was arrested on January 16, 2026, by federal agents near the Cazadores Mexican restaurant in Virginia.
Agents said Espinoza-Espinoza was in a car they suspected was “transporting illegal aliens”.
On the morning of January 26, 2026, a federal judge dismissed the case. Court records say the federal government did not present any witnesses to meet its burden of establishing that the complaint against Espinoza-Espinoza was supported by probable cause. The US Attorney’s Office moved to dismiss the case.
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The judge ordered Espinoza-Espinoza to be released from the criminal case against him for allegedly “assaulting, resisting, or impeding a Federal Officer”.
It is unclear if Espinoza-Espinoza will still be held on an immigration violation.
Charging documents from the now dismissed case claimed he told authorities that he was born in Guatemala, was a Guatemalan citizen, and was in the country illegally.
