As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other federal agents and officers attempt to enforce U.S. immigration law, they are increasingly coming under physical attack. Recent arrests related to the assaults may be a sign that the federal government has had enough of the rising trend of violent assaults on federal immigration agents.
On Friday, Gregory K. Bovino, Commander-Operation at Large California and current Chief of the El Centro Border Patrol Sector, highlighted the service of an arrest warrant on a United States citizen accused of assaulting federal agents involved in enforcing immigration laws in Los Angeles.
Bovino posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) of the Border Patrol’s highly trained BORTAC special operations group swiftly arresting the suspect who is alleged to have spit on agents as they attempted to conduct deportation operations in Los Angeles.
In the post, a video shows the suspect, wearing an anti-ICE t-shirt, being arrested by agents at a business. Bovino wrote, “This U.S. citizen is accused of assaulting a federal agent by spitting on him during an immigration arrest under Operation at Large. Our agents swiftly served him a warrant in Los Angeles. California may coddle criminals, but we don’t. If you assault a federal agent, you earn federal consequences. Remember: When talking to federal law enforcement officers, say it, don’t spray it.”
In another recent arrest, the United States Attorney’s office in Oregon announced the arrest of a Portland man suspected of committing various offenses, including aggravated assault of a federal officer and damaging federal property during a violent protest at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in South Portland.
On Monday, 24-year-old Robert Jacob Hoopes made his initial court appearance on the felony charges of aggravated assault of a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and depredation of federal property in an amount exceeding $1,000.
According to court documents and information shared in court, on June 14, 2025, Hoopes was present at a protest at the Portland ICE building and was allegedly seen and photographed throwing large rocks at the building. He threw one of those rocks at an ICE officer and struck the officer in the head, causing a significant laceration over the officer’s eye.
Later that same day, authorities alleged that Hoopes and two other individuals were seen using an upended stop sign as a makeshift battering ram, which resulted in significant damage to the main entry door to the ICE building. Hoopes was identified from a photo online later that same day.
Since June 13, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon has charged 23 defendants with offenses committed at the ICE building, including assaulting federal officers, arson, possession of a destructive device, and depredation of government property.
In another widely publicized assault case involving ICE agents, two medical clinic workers were arrested and charged with assaulting a federal agent in Los Angeles on July 25th. According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Jose de Jesus Ortega, 38, of Highland, and Danielle Nadine Davila, of Corona, now face charges of assaulting a federal officer and conspiracy to prevent by force and intimidation a federal officer from discharging his duties.
As of July 15, figures released by the Department of Homeland Security show assaults on ICE officials have increased by 830 percent from January 21 to July 14th when compared to the same period in 2024.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
Read the full article here