California Woman Threatens To Call Ice on Taco Vendors and Forwards Harassment Calls to Her Critic

Francesca Ortega, the California woman recorded threatening to call ICE on taco vendors in Stevenson Ranch, later changed her business's listed telephone number to a critic's after receiving harassing calls, she confirmed to FOX 11.

The change followed backlash over footage of Ortega's confrontation near Santa Clarita, which spread on social media.

She said her cleaning company was receiving unwanted calls, while critic Ricardo Morales said strangers began calling and texting him shortly after he sent her a message.

ICE Threat at Taco Stand

Ortega said the encounter began when someone connected to the taco stand photographed her car's number plate.

She cited that photograph to explain her anger, although her account of what preceded the recording remains her own.

In the footage, Ortega insults the vendors and challenges the stand's presence in the area. She alleges that it is harming nearby businesses and threatens to contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The report does not establish the vendors' immigration status or whether Ortega contacted the agency. It includes no direct response from ICE, police or the vendors about the incident.

Ortega later said she did not intend to cause harm, attributing her comments to anger during the dispute. She offered that explanation as the video circulated and criticism spread beyond the area where the confrontation had taken place.

Local media described residents publicly rejecting the immigration threat, while others came out to support the vendors. Coverage continued over several days as Ortega tried to explain her behaviour and the repercussions for the business she owned.

Backlash After ICE Video

Ortega said Excellence Cleaning Pros began receiving numerous negative reviews and messages after the footage circulated.

Speaking to FOX 11, she said she had spent a decade building the company and that the response to the video was damaging her livelihood.

Her claims concern the backlash's effect on her own cleaning company, separate from the businesses she alleged were being harmed by the taco stand. She provided no financial figures or independent assessment of the losses she described.

Morales said his involvement began with a message criticising Ortega's behaviour. Approximately 40 minutes after sending it, he began receiving calls and texts from people he did not know.

Ortega acknowledged to FOX 11 that she had replaced the telephone number on her business's Google profile with Morales' number. That change put his contact details on the public listing for Excellence Cleaning Pros, directing people looking for the company to him.

She described the change as temporary. Asked why she had made it, Ortega told the broadcaster she had been receiving harassing calls and wanted them to stop.

She linked her decision to repeated attempts to contact her after the video circulated. Morales' complaint concerned the calls and messages he received after sending his criticism.

His account described contact from strangers, extending the dispute to someone whose involvement began with a response to the footage rather than the confrontation itself.

The account does not specify how long Morales' number remained on the profile. Morales said the calls continued, with strangers contacting him from different parts of the United States after he had sent his criticism.