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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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A suspected illegal immigrant allegedly dragged a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent an entire block with his van after the officer tried to detain him in Dallas, Texas.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted about the incident on the ICE X account Thursday morning, saying the officer had been left with multiple injuries**.**
Why It Matters
DHS announced on Tuesday that ICE personnel experienced an 830 percent increase in assaults between January 21 and July 14 compared to the same timeframe in 2024.
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In its statement, DHS leadership singled out inflammatory political rhetoric—particularly from so-called "sanctuary" politicians—as a catalyst fueling these attacks, claiming it "vilifies" ICE agents and incites public hostility.
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What To Know
ICE said its officers were trying to detain Honduran national Melgar-Rivas when he drove off, taking the officer with him. Photos shared as part of the X post showed severe bruising and friction burns to the officer's arms and legs.
The agency said that on top of his final order of removal, Melgar-Rivas also now faced charges of assaulting a federal officer.
The incident in Dallas is the latest in a series of reported assaults on federal agents, with the Trump administration sharing cases in press releases and social media posts of agents experiencing violence during enforcement actions and protests.
Earlier this week, an ICE employee was attacked in California, with the agency placing the blame on Democratic Representative Salud Carbajal, who had allegedly shared the employee's business card with rioters.
Carbajal denied the claims, saying that the business card was handed to him in front of dozens of TV cameras and livestreaming smartphones. In a statement, he added that ICE agents had used "a disturbing and disproportionate level of force" in Carpinteria.—
ICE has also reported incidents of its agents being doxed—or having their identities made public online—and threatened.
While DHS has stated increasing levels of violence - from a 500 percent jump in assaults to 830 percent in recent says - the department has not responded to multiple requests from Newsweek for the total numbers of assaults.
What People Are Saying
ICE on X: "Attacks on our officers will NOT be tolerated. While ICE @ERODallas officers were detaining Honduran illegal alien Jose Melgar-Rivas, Melgar accelerated his van and dragged an officer nearly a block down the road in an attempt to escape. This resulted in multiple injuries to the officer's body and ended with Jose Melgar-Rivas in cuffs."
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, in a press release July 15: "Brave ICE law enforcement are risking their lives every day to keep our communities safe from the worst of the worst criminals. ICE law enforcement are succeeding to remove terrorists, murderers, pedophiles and the most depraved among us from America's communities, even as crazed rhetoric from gutter politicians are inspiring a massive increase in assaults against them. It is reprehensible that our officers are facing this threat while simply doing their jobs and enforcing the law."
Representative Carbajal, in a press release July 14: "ICE's claims of 'doxxing' and 'violent mobs' are attempts to deflect attention from their unjust tactics, distort the facts to support misleading narratives, and avoid accountability for their aggressive actions that caused injuries and left our community traumatized."
What's Next
DHS maintains that it will continue to prosecute those who assault its agents, while adding that it will not tolerate anti-ICE messaging from protestors or lawmakers.
Update: 7/17/25, 12:56 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.
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