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A 19-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico is facing federal charges after prosecutors say he rammed his truck into an agent and government vehicles during an immigration operation in San Diego.
The case comes the same week another illegal immigrant, Harjinder Singh, was accused in a Florida crash that killed three people, underscoring renewed scrutiny of Biden-era immigration enforcement.
According to an ICE statement, the illegal, Rolando Nava Pacheco, is facing up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for striking a federal agent and government vehicles in an attempt to flee.
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Homeland Security agents stopped Pacheco during an immigration operation in San Diego for suspected immigration violations on Aug. 11. According to a DOJ statement, after the federal agents identified themselves as law enforcement, Pacheco attempted to flee by accelerating his white truck and striking an agent and a government vehicle.
The DOJ statement says the agents “verbally announced themselves as federal agents and requested identification from (the) vehicle’s driver.”
“As the white truck recklessly tried to flee the area, a federal agent driving a government vehicle attempted to block the path of the white truck,” the DOJ statement said.
As a result, “the driver of the white truck proceeded to strike the federal agent’s vehicle head on.”
Pacheco is now facing charges of assault on a federal officer resulting in bodily injury and destruction of federal property.
Fox News Digital reached out to Pacheco’s attorney for comment.
Patrick Divver, San Diego field office director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, commented that the operation “demonstrates the commitment of ERO officers to enforcing federal immigration laws and protecting public safety.
“Despite the challenges encountered, our officers remain dedicated to carrying out their duties with professionalism,” he said.
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“The arrest of this individual for assaulting our officers or agents underscores our unwavering commitment to safeguarding the safety of law enforcement personnel and holding offenders accountable,” said Homeland Security Investigations San Diego Special Agent in Charge Shawn Gibson.
“We will not tolerate violence against law enforcement, and we are resolute in our pursuit of justice,” added Gibson.
This comes as another illegal Indian national, Harjinder Singh, is accused of causing a crash in Fort Pierce, Florida, that killed three people.
Singh, who crossed into the United States illegally in 2018 via the southern border, obtained a commercial driver’s license in California. He attempted to obtain work authorization, but it was rejected by the first Trump administration on Sept. 14, 2020, according to Tricia McLaughlin, Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs.
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The Department of Transportation said in a statement that Singh failed his English proficiency and road signs tests, “providing correct responses to just 2 of 12 verbal questions and only accurately identifying 1 of 4 highway traffic signs.”
According to the DOT, Singh was issued a regular full-term commercial driver’s license in the state of Washington in July 2023, but illegal immigrants are not allowed to obtain this type of license.
A year later, Singh was issued a limited-term/non-domiciled commercial driver’s license in California. The DOT is investigating further whether the issuance of that license followed federal regulations.
According to a new study by Pew Research, the illegal immigrant population in the United States reached a record 14 million in 2023 under the Biden administration.
Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.
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