Illegal alien charged with assaulting immigration officer with stainless steel mug, resulting in serious injuries

Editor's Note:
This matter occurred on date indicated, but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.

HOUSTON - A 33-year-old El Salvadorian national has appeared in federal court on charges of attacking and injuring an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Walter Leonel Perez Rodriguez will now remain in custody pending further criminal proceedings.

"ICE officers place their lives on the line every day to protect our country, and they deserve to be protected in return. Anyone who chooses violence over lawfulness will be met with swift charges in the Southern District of Texas," said Ganjei. "The Department of Justice, and this office, stand firmly with law enforcement."

According to the criminal complaint, authorities conducted a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Tahoe Nov. 4. Rodriguez allegedly got out of the vehicle and ran as law enforcement identified themselves.

The charges allege Rodriguez threw a 32-ounce stainless steel mug filled with hot coffee on an ICE officer, striking him in the face. The officer fell to the ground and lost consciousness, according to the charges.

The officer was taken to a hospital and treated for second-degree burns to his neck and arms and a laceration to his upper lip that required 18 stiches, according to the allegations.

The criminal complaint alleges authorities first removed Rodriguez from the United States in 2013, and he returned at least two more times.

If convicted of assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer causing bodily injury, Rodriguez faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

FBI and ICE - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney's Keri Fuller and Byron Black are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhood.

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.