Federal authorities are investigating multiple recent incidents in which immigration enforcement officers were injured during encounters involving vehicles, highlighting a broader concern about safety risks faced by agents during operations.
One of the most serious cases occurred on December 1, 2025, along the Stemmons Freeway, part of Interstate 35, in Lewisville, Texas. According to a federal indictment, Jerson Lopez-Sanchez, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, allegedly injured three federal immigration agents during a traffic stop. The vehicle Lopez-Sanchez was driving reportedly had at least five occupants.
Court documents state that Lopez-Sanchez initially pulled over in the 2400 block of South Stemmons Freeway as agents attempted to conduct the stop. As agents approached the vehicle, he allegedly placed the car in reverse and rammed a federal law enforcement vehicle parked behind him. At that moment, one agent who was partially outside his vehicle was injured.
After creating space by striking the vehicle behind him, Lopez-Sanchez allegedly maneuvered around other cars and attempted to flee the scene. Federal agents pursued with emergency lights activated. During the pursuit, one agent positioned a vehicle to block a potential escape route. Prosecutors allege that Lopez-Sanchez accelerated and rammed that vehicle instead of stopping, injuring two agents inside.
A third federal vehicle continued the pursuit for approximately 10 minutes before Lopez-Sanchez stopped on a median. All occupants fled on foot. With assistance from civilians, three occupants were detained, but Lopez-Sanchez, identified as both the driver and owner of the vehicle, remains at large. He has been indicted in the Eastern District of Texas on three counts of assaulting federal immigration agents. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison on each count. Authorities have indicated that a cash reward may be available for information leading to his arrest.
A separate incident occurred in San Antonio on January 13, when the Department of Homeland Security reported that an illegal immigrant from Cuba, Robyn Argote Brooks, was arrested after allegedly ramming two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicles. According to DHS, Brooks first reversed at full speed into one ICE vehicle, then accelerated forward and struck another.
These incidents come amid what DHS describes as a sharp rise in violence against ICE officers. In a press release, the agency reported that from January 21, 2025, through January 7, 2026, ICE law enforcement officers experienced 66 vehicular attacks, compared to two during the same period the previous year, representing a significant increase.
“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,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in the release. She added, “Still, the brave men and women of DHS will not be deterred and will continue arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal immigrants. Anyone who attacks law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
In another high-profile case, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem commented on the January 7 fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, stating that Good was “using a vehicle to try to kill an officer and his colleagues.” According to Fox News, the ICE agent involved suffered internal bleeding after being struck by Good’s vehicle.
