An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer was injured in Homestead, Florida, after a traffic stop involving Henry Isaul Garcia, a Guatemalan national who entered the United States illegally. According to officials, Garcia reversed his vehicle during the stop, striking an ICE officer in the leg and nearly crushing him.
Following the incident, Garcia crashed into several ICE vehicles before driving into oncoming traffic and colliding with a black utility van. The individuals in the car then attempted to flee on foot but were apprehended by law enforcement officers at the scene. Officers provided aid to those involved in the crash before detaining them.
The four individuals arrested were identified as Henry Isaul Garcia, Ruben Sales Garcia—who had previously been removed from the country but reentered at an unknown time and location—Marlon Gomez Hernandez, and Jorge Perez Martin. All four were transported to a local hospital for evaluation and have since been discharged. They are now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
The injured ICE officer is reported to be in stable condition.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin commented on recent events: “These dangerous attempts to flee law enforcement come after sanctuary politicians have openly encouraged and provided tips for how to evade our ICE officers,” she said. “We are praying for the speedy recovery of our law enforcement officer. The violence against our brave ICE law enforcement must come to an end. This is the second incident in a week where an officer was injured while arresting an illegal alien. This type of rhetoric is contributing to our ICE officers facing a more than 1000% increase in assaults against them. It is time to tone down the rhetoric.”
Officials noted that this marks the second car accident within a week involving individuals attempting to avoid arrest by immigration authorities. The Department of Homeland Security has linked these incidents with actions by certain elected officials who have hosted webinars or released materials advising undocumented immigrants on how to avoid encounters with ICE officers.
Recent examples cited include Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hosting a webinar offering advice on evading arrests; Dan Goldman posting online videos urging undocumented immigrants to prepare for possible encounters with immigration authorities; Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass distributing multilingual flyers about avoiding arrest; and California Governor Gavin Newsom releasing guides detailing how undocumented immigrants can recognize and respond during interactions with immigration officials.
