No charges filed against Pasadena job center director who followed ICE vehicle

The city has declined to file charges against an immigrant-labor advocate who police arrested last month after he followed a suspected U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle.

“Based on a review of the police report and relevant case law, the Pasadena City Prosecutor’s Office concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt and therefore the decision was made not to file the case,” said Lisa Derderian, a spokeswoman for the city.

Jose Madera was notified last week, she said.

Madera, the director of the Pasadena Community Job Center, was arrested on Jan. 7 on suspicion of misdemeanor resisting arrest or obstructing an officer from performing his or her lawful duties.

He was cited then released the same day.

He couldn’t be reached for comment on Friday, Feb. 6. But in a Facebook reel, Madera talked about the city’s decision not to charge him and also read the letter he received.

“This was a victory for the community,” Madera said. “The community stood in solidarity with me and we said loud and clear, ‘When they come for one of us, they come for all of us.’ “

On Jan. 7, Madera said he was heading to Altadena for an event about the Eaton fire when he received a call that ICE was in Pasadena.

Madera and others observe ICE actions. He followed an unmarked car that he said made U-turns and drove recklessly. The car ended up stopping in front of the Pasadena Police Department, he said.

Officers stopped and questioned him and not the driver of the unmarked vehicle, Madera said.

Madera has said Pasadena police asked for his license, registration and other documentation but wouldn’t say why. At the time, a city official said he “refused to cooperate, significantly delaying the investigation, and was arrested and cited.”

In the city’s letter to Madera, it says that the case may still be subject to further review up to the statute of limitations, which in this case is one year.

That doesn’t sit well with him and his organization, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.

“We have been told that this is procedural,” Madera said in the Facebook reel. “But we are still pushing for this case to be completely closed.”

The statute of limitations in this case is one year, said Derderian, the city spokeswoman.

“This is the standard language used in the letter,” she said. “The matter is closed and the City Prosecutor’s Office would only reopen the matter if new information or additional evidence was presented to the office for consideration.”