SAN ANTONIO, Texas — A Cuban national, illegally in the United States, was sentenced in a federal court in San Antonio to 10 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $10,000 in restitution for destruction of government property. Robyn Argote-Brooks, a 25-year-old from Havana, Cuba, was sentenced on Tuesday for causing damage to two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicles in January.
According to court documents, Argote-Brooks used his vehicle to damage two vehicles, an SUV and a sedan, both of which were property of the United States and maintained by ICE. The amount of damage to each vehicle exceeded $1,000. Argote was captured on video ramming the vehicles in what appeared to be a deliberate attempt to avoid arrest, endangering ICE agents surrounding the vehicle on foot.
Argote-Brooks was arrested at the scene of the incident and charged via complaint with one count of destruction of government property. A federal indictment was filed in February that added a second count of destruction of government property and a charge of forcibly assaulting a federal officer. A federal jury in San Antonio, Texas, convicted Argote-Brooks of both destruction of government property counts after a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Fred Biery.
During the Argote-Brooks sentencing hearing on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sentenced the Cuban illegal alien to 10 months in federal prison for each count, which will run concurrently. Biery also ordered Argote-Brooks to perform three years of supervised release, imposed a $200 special assessment, and to pay $9,767 in restitution for the damages to federal property.
Argote-Brooks’ attempts to escape apprehension by ramming ICE vehicles occurred as ICE agents were facing an onslaught of similar incidents nationwide. Just a week before the arrest of Argote-Brooks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced a staggering increase in assaults against ICE agents as the first year of the Trump administration ended.
In a January press release, DHS revealed ICE agents were facing a more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults, a 3,200 percent increase in vehicular attacks, and an 8,000 percent increase in death threats. Between January 21, 2025, and January 7, 2026, ICE agents engaged in immigration enforcement actions experienced 66 vehicular attacks against them, compared to only 2 during the same time the previous year.
The blame for the significant increase in attacks on the agents was laid squarely on the backs of left-wing politicians and the media at the time. Tricia McLaughlin, then serving as Assistant DHS Secretary, commented on the rise in assaults, saying, “This unprecedented increase in violence against law enforcement is a direct result of sanctuary politicians and the media creating an environment that demonizes our law enforcement and encourages rampant assaults against them. Dangerous criminals – whether they be illegal aliens or U.S. citizens – are assaulting law enforcement and turning their vehicles into weapons to attack law enforcement.”
ICE Homeland Security Investigations investigated the Argote-Brooks case with assistance from ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations.
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.
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