A Guatemalan national who assaulted two Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during an arrest operation in Florida has been sentenced to more than a year in federal prison, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS said Fredy Aureliano Morales-Ramirez, who was unlawfully present in the United States and under a final order of removal, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal custody after pleading guilty to forcibly assaulting a federal officer. He is expected to face removal proceedings following completion of his sentence.
The incident occurred in August 2025 in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, as ICE officers attempted to take Morales-Ramirez into custody during a targeted enforcement operation. DHS said Morales-Ramirez violently resisted arrest, including attempting to seize officers’ restraints, grabbing one officer, and trying to choke another.
Local law enforcement assisted ICE officers in completing the arrest. DHS said the officers involved sustained injuries, including cuts and bruises, during the encounter.
In a statement, DHS officials said the case underscores the risks faced by federal immigration officers during enforcement operations. Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said assaults on ICE officers have increased nationwide and emphasized that such attacks are federal crimes.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the assault underscores the risks federal officers face during immigration enforcement operations. “This illegal alien not only violated our laws by coming to our country illegally but then chose to violently assault our law enforcement, including by grabbing an officer by the genitals and attempting to choke an officer,” Noem said. “Assaulting federal law enforcement is a felony and a federal crime. These are the dangerous situations our officers find themselves in every day in the field.”
DHS said ICE and its law enforcement partners will continue carrying out immigration enforcement nationwide and that individuals who assault officers will be prosecuted under federal law.
