An arrest operation in Texas on Tuesday turned violent when a twice-deported criminal alien and child predator allegedly resisted arrest and severely assaulted an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer.
ICE arrested Walter Leonel Perez Rodriguez, a 33-year-old Salvadoran national. During the encounter, Rodriguez is alleged to have physically assaulted an ICE officer with a metal coffee cup, inflicting severe burns and a deep gash to the officer’s face that required 13 stitches.
Rodriguez is a convicted criminal with a history in the U.S., including a conviction for sexually assaulting a child in January 2013, Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) in September 2014, and illegal reentry in January 2020.
He had been ordered removed by an immigration judge and deported on two previous occasions: June 28, 2013, and February 24, 2020, having illegally re-entered the country at least three times.
“This young officer’s life has forever been altered as a result of the continued hyper-politicization of routine law enforcement activities and spread of misinformation by the media, NGOs and other groups opposed to immigration enforcement in this country,” said Director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston Field Office.
Bradford criticized opponents of immigration enforcement, suggesting they are emboldening dangerous individuals.
“Rather than take their issues up with Congress, they shift their rage at the brave men and women of ICE who are putting their lives on the line every day… By focusing on our officers and spreading false propaganda about how we accomplish our mission, they are emboldening dangerous illegal aliens like this child predator to physically resist arrest. This insanity has to stop before anyone else gets hurt.”
Following this most recent arrest, Rodriguez has been referred for federal prosecution for illegal reentry and assaulting a federal officer.
READ: ICE, OHP Arrest 70 Illegal Immigrants Including 34 Commercial Drivers In Oklahoma Sweep
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