Diego Barron-Esquivel, a Mexican national living illegally in the United States, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for violently assaulting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. The sentencing follows an incident on February 28, 2025, in Wichita, Kansas, where two ICE officers attempted to arrest Barron-Esquivel as part of a targeted enforcement operation.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Barron-Esquivel has a history of violent offenses including domestic battery, violation of protection orders, aggravated robbery, felony theft, and other charges. During the arrest attempt, he resisted and physically attacked one officer by punching him in the face and head before strangling him with the officer’s badge cord. The officer was able to break free before losing consciousness. Barron-Esquivel fled but was later apprehended by local law enforcement.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated: “This barbaric criminal illegal alien, with a rap sheet a mile long, violently punched one our officers in the face and head and then began strangling the officer with his own badge cord. Our officers are facing a 1150% increase in violence against them as they arrest the worst of the worst. He now faces 20 years in federal prison. Secretary Noem has been clear: if you lay a hand on law enforcement, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Barron-Esquivel pleaded guilty on December 3, 2025 to one count of forcible assault of a federal officer. He received the maximum penalty permitted under federal law.
The DHS also noted that Barron-Esquivel’s entry date and location into the United States remain unknown.
