Jonathan Christian González Reyes, 45 years old and accused of impersonating a high-ranking immigration official to allegedly extort a merchant from Miami Gardens, was arrested this Sunday by agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a operation in Hialeah.
The arrest occurred just four days after González Reyes was first detained by local authorities, marking his second arrest in less than a week.
On this occasion, it was precisely ICE agents who arrested him in the northwest of Miami-Dade County, after the accused allegedly used the identity of a high-ranking official from that agency to intimidate his victim.
His first arrest occurred on Wednesday, September 17, during a traffic stop, after the police conducted surveillance near his residence.
ICE is holding this individual in custody as part of an investigation by the unit responsible for cases involving individuals who allegedly impersonate members of the federal agency.
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The case originates from an incident on July 8, captured by surveillance cameras, when González Reyes appeared at the Latin food truck «El Líder Food Truck», located on Northwest 67 Avenue in Miami Gardens, carrying a gun and a badge at his hip.
Weeks prior, the suspect had already contacted the business owner, Luis Rodríguez, presenting himself as a high-ranking ICE officer with military experience to earn his trust.
"He started providing information that he was a high-ranking official of ICE, that he had served in the United States Army, that he was important, and that we could be friends," Rodríguez reported.
González Reyes faked phone calls to make the merchant believe that his employees were under immigration watch, suggesting that he needed to pay for protection.
"He made sure to look me in the eye and tell me: 'I care about you, I want to help you, but if you help me, I will help you,'" the business owner recalled.
When Rodríguez confronted him and asked him not to return, the suspect came back about a month later with more serious threats.
"He said that if he wanted to, he could plant drugs on me and put me in trouble, that he could shoot me. He pulled out the gun and loaded it. My employee was frozen," Rodríguez described.
Upon leaving, González Reyes activated police sirens in his vehicle, according to the victim's account reported in previous reports on the case.
After his first arrest, the accused initially denied knowing Rodríguez or having visited the business, but later admitted to having displayed the weapon and claimed that he had no bad intentions.
The charges he faces include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, impersonating an officer, illegal use of a badge or police insignia, and prohibited use of blue lights.
Rodríguez, a U.S. citizen, reported the case precisely because his status allowed him to do so without fear, and he expressed concern for those who were not able to do the same.
"It frustrates me to think and know that this modus operandi could be applied in other places, with business owners who are undocumented or in the asylum process," she warned.
The case fits a pattern documented in South Florida. The FBI in Miami warned in April 2025 about 1,579 cases of impersonation of federal agents in the state, with estimated losses exceeding $12 million.
In April 2026, a fake immigration agency in Florida was dismantled accused of withholding documents to extort undocumented applicants.
Miami-Dade authorities urged potential victims to contact the county's Crime Stoppers hotline, due to the possibility that González Reyes may have used the same scheme in other businesses in the area.
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