The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Cuban immigrant Robyn Argote Brooks on Tuesday after he rammed his car into vehicles and federal agents in San Antonio, Texas, authorities reported.
The Department of Homeland Security revealed today that Argote “used his vehicle as a weapon” against federal law enforcement officers and struck two ICE vehicles with his car on January 13th.
According to the statement, ICE agents carried out a “selective” traffic stop to arrest Argote, but the Cuban refused to comply with the authorities' orders to exit his vehicle.
The DHS said that in an attempt to evade arrest, the undocumented immigrant put his car in reverse and backed up at full speed, "almost hitting an ICE agent."
Argote avoided the officer but crashed into a vehicle that was behind his; then, he accelerated and collided with a second ICE vehicle, injuring the officer in the front seat, according to authorities. Following this, he was arrested by the officers.
A video shared on social media X by journalist Brooke Taylor from Fox News shows the entire ICE operation to detain the Cuban man. After Argote collides with the federal vehicles, the officers break the window of his car; one of them forcibly extracts him while another points a weapon at him. They throw him onto the pavement, with two agents pinning him down with their knees on his back while he remains face down.
Argote did not resist, and when he was on the ground, he can be heard saying, "My God." Then they lift him up, and one officer speaks with him, while another, in Spanish, asks if he needs medical assistance before taking him away. In the footage, no ICE agents are seen injured. The entire scene was apparently recorded by television cameras.
Following the incident, the Undersecretary of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, stated: “One of our officers was injured in this vehicle attack, and we pray for him, his health, and his family,” while holding “sanctuary” politicians accountable for “encouraging undocumented immigrants to evade arrest,” which she maintained has “created an environment that incites violence against our law enforcement.”
The official stated that there has been a 3,200% increase in vehicle attacks against ICE agents and over a 1,300% rise in assaults.
According to data from the DHS, between January 21, 2025, and January 7 of this year, ICE agents experienced 66 vehicle attacks, compared to just two during the same period the previous year.
McLaughlin cited the recent statements by Secretary Kristi Noem, who warned that “anyone who attacks law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Robyn Argote Brooks arrived in the U.S. in 2024 through the CBP One program, established by the administration of President Joe Biden in January 2023, to allow migrants to schedule asylum appointments online.
The DHS described the implementation as "disastrous," which allowed over a million foreigners without criminal records to enter the country, according to its figures.
The detention of the Cuban occurs in a context of heightened tension, following the shooting of 37-year-old American citizen Renee Nicole Good in the head by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7, resulting in her death on the spot. According to the government's account of the events, the officer acted in self-defense when the woman allegedly attempted to run him over with her vehicle.
The tragic event sparked outrage and mobilizations in various parts of the city. In the following days, authorities responded with a greater deployment of agents and an intensification of immigration operations, which has exacerbated public discontent and led to violent arrests, mass protests, and clashes with law enforcement.
President Donald Trump threatened this Thursday to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and deploy federal troops in Minneapolis to contain the protests sparked by recent shootings involving ICE agents.
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