By admin 
David Gonzalez III, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who is accused of assaulting a 72-year-old Californian homeowner, has worked for the federal agency for less than a year.
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Gonzalez, 32 and from McAllen, Texas, was arrested early Friday morning in Fresno after he allegedly assaulted the homeowner and the man’s daughter. Gonzalez had passed out in the front lawn of the home and appeared “intoxicated and agitated” when the homeowner asked him to leave, according to the Fresno County district attorney’s office and Fresno Police Department.
In response, Gonzalez reportedly attacked the homeowner and his daughter. The father — fearing for his safety and with a legally possessed firearm — shot Gonzalez once in midsection, according to the DA. Fresno police arrived to find Gonzalez in handcuffs placed by the woman’s boyfriend, an off-duty police officer also there at the time. He now faces multiple felony charges.
In its initial news release, Fresno police identified Gonzalez as an off-duty ICE agent from Texas. The Department of Homeland Security and ICE have repeatedly declined to comment on the arrest or his employment. But the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office in Texas told The Sacramento Bee on Wednesday morning that Gonzalez joined the federal immigration agency in December.
Gonzalez began working the for the Texas agency in June 2017 as a detention officer, said Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Raul Gonzalez. He was then hired as a deputy in May 2022 and remained employed with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office until December 2025 when he left to join ICE.
In a February 2025 Google Street View image of Gonzalez’s home, there is a sheriff’s vehicle parked in front. His home address was obtained through a public records search.
The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page also features at least two photos specifically identifying Gonzalez as a deputy. In a post from June 2025, the agency congratulates “Senior Deputy David Gonzalez III” on a recent transfer to the criminal investigation division.
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“We look forward to seeing Investigator Gonzalez excel in his new position and wish him the best of luck,” the post states.
Gonzalez’s employment with ICE comes amid a hiring surge and ramp up in immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump’s second term. Such moves have been bolstered by tens of billions of dollars in new funding from Congress.
ICE had roughly 28,000 employees in July, an increase of 8,000 from when Trump took office. Last month, the New York Times reported that the agency was seeking to hire 5,000 new employees by the end of the year. The federal administration has continuously incentivized new hires with a signing bonus of up to $50,000 and student loan repayment.
The hiring efforts have drawn criticism for its size and speed. A whistleblower complaint by a high-level official publicized last month alleged that DHS was issuing final job offers without proper preliminary vetting, fast-tracking unqualified candidates and placing the agency at “grave risk.”
On Tuesday, the DA’s Office charged Gonzalez with assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, elder abuse, vandalism and battery. He faces a sentence of up to 4 years and 8 months, if convicted. His arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday morning at Fresno County Superior Court and his bail amount is $52,000.
Gonzalez’s arrest last week came as Fresno and cities across California have experienced an increase in immigration enforcement.
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The Bee’s Graham Womack and Stephen Hobbs contributed to this story.
This story was originally published October 14, 2026 at 12:40 PM.