Cuban National Charged After ICE Officers Struck and Bitten in Saint Paul
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A 54-year-old Cuban national is facing federal charges after authorities say he used his vehicle to assault Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers Last month.
Juan Carlos Rodriguez Romero was indicted on two counts of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and one count of assault on a federal officer.
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Federal prosecutors allege the incident unfolded on the morning of Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, when ICE deportation officers attempted to take Rodriguez Romero into custody.
According to the indictment, uniformed ICE officers initiated a traffic stop as part of the arrest attempt. Authorities say Rodriguez Romero refused to comply with commands and tried to flee in his vehicle. During that attempt, he allegedly accelerated toward ICE officers who were on foot before speeding away. Investigators say he then struck two parked vehicles and lost control of his car.
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Officers moved in again to apprehend him, but prosecutors allege Rodriguez Romero once more accelerated his vehicle toward officers. During that second attempt, one officer fired a weapon toward the vehicle. Authorities say Rodriguez Romero struck an ICE officer with his car while trying to flee.
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When officers were finally able to take him into custody, prosecutors allege Rodriguez Romero bit one of the officers on the hand, drawing blood. Two ICE officers were taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries that included bruised ribs, a dislocated finger and a bite wound.
Rodriguez Romero is a citizen of Cuba and is subject to removal from the United States. He remains in custody pending a detention hearing.
If convicted, Rodriguez Romero faces up to twenty years in federal prison on the assault with a dangerous weapon charges.
