41°
Michel Manuel Garcia-Rojas, 38, who resides in Albany, was charged with assaulting a federal officer in Albany federal court Thursday, March 6, following an alleged incident in Rotterdam.
Garcia-Rojas entered the United States illegally in 2023 and has been in removal proceedings since that time, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District.
On Wednesday, March 5, Rotterdam Police contacted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after Garcia-Rojas and another undocumented immigrant were charged with petit larceny and endangering the welfare of a child–New York State misdemeanors.
Under the newly enacted Laken Riley Act, federal agents are required to detain non-citizens accused of certain crimes, including theft and assault on law enforcement. HSI agents obtained administrative warrants and responded to the Rotterdam Police Department to take Garcia Rojas and the other suspect into custody before they could be released.
However, Garcia-Rojas broke free from his restraints after being placed in the back of a federal law enforcement vehicle and removed one of his handcuffs, exited the car, and attempted to flee, according to prosecutors.
When an HSI special agent confronted him, Garcia-Rojas punched the agent in the jaw and threw him into a door, prosecutors said. It reportedly took six officers and the use of a TASER device to subdue him.
The federal agent suffered cuts, abrasions, and injuries to his back, hands, and knees.
During processing, Garcia-Rojas told authorities that he was a police officer in Nicaragua, where he was trained in defensive tactics.
Appearing in Albany federal court Wednesday, he was charged with resisting, impeding, and assaulting a federal officer, inflicting bodily injury. The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
Garcia-Rojas was ordered detained pending a hearing on Monday, March 10.
The Laken Riley Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in January, is named after a 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered by an undocumented Venezuelan man in February 2024. It mandates that undocumented immigrants accused of theft, burglary, assaulting police, and any crime that causes death or serious injury be federally detained.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Farmingdale and receive free news updates.
