St. Paul, Minn. — Federal immigration officers were injured during a violent encounter in St. Paul on Dec. 21 after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says a suspect, identified as Juan Carlos Rodrigues Romero, struck agents and repeatedly rammed ICE vehicles during an attempted traffic stop and arrest.
ICE officers were injured after a Cuban illegal alien rammed vehicles, struck agents and resisted arrest in St. Paul. Suspect entered the U.S. via CBP One.
Details of the Incident
ICE said officers located Romero as he entered a white SUV near Westminster Street and initiated a lawful traffic stop. When officers ordered him to roll down his window, Romero allegedly refused; agents warned they would break the window if he continued to disobey commands.
ICE officers were injured after a Cuban illegal alien rammed vehicles, struck agents and resisted arrest in St. Paul. The suspect entered the U.S. via CBP One.
According to ICE, Romero then drove off and at one point struck an officer while attempting to flee. Officers pursued the vehicle until Romero pulled into a parking lot near his residence and struck two parked cars. ICE alleges Romero subsequently rammed an ICE unit, striking another officer.
CBP One mobile app searching for an appointment to enter the United States outside the temporary stay of the National Migration Institute (INM) in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on May 5, 2023.
An officer who had been struck fired two rounds from his service weapon at Romero’s vehicle, ICE said; no one was struck by those rounds and Romero drove away. He later returned to the front entrance of his apartment complex, rammed an additional ICE vehicle and tried to flee on foot toward his apartment.
Officers chased and detained Romero. ICE said he violently resisted arrest and bit an officer before being subdued and placed in handcuffs. Two officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to a hospital for evaluation; Romero was also transported to a hospital and remains in ICE custody, the agency said.
Context: CBP One App And Policy Changes
ICE reported Romero entered the United States in 2024 through the CBP One app, a system launched in January 2023 to schedule appointments at ports of entry. The app was used by hundreds of thousands of migrants to request entry or parole, often with temporary work authorization while they awaited proceedings. Federal policy changes later altered protections and parole use for some entrants processed through CBP One.
ICE provided the account of the Dec. 21 encounter. Media outlets have reported on the broad use of the CBP One app; data cited by some outlets indicate the app facilitated hundreds of thousands of admissions through December 2024. Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to earlier reporting on the incident.
