Illegal Alien Charged with Assaulting Immigration Officer

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Jose Emilio Ba-Ruiz was arrested and appeared in federal court today after he was charged with assaulting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deportation Officer, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.

A complaint filed in U.S. District Court alleges that Jose Emilio Ba-Ruiz, 51, a citizen of Mexico, committed the assault on February 2, 2026, while ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and Customs Border Protection (CBP) conducted surveillance on a residence in Alabaster, Alabama. After officers saw a vehicle leave the residence that was registered to a foreign national without lawful status in the United States, CBP initiated a traffic stop. A Deportation Officer with ICE/ERO assisted with the traffic stop and approached the vehicle's front passenger window. The passenger identified himself as Ba-Ruiz and was asked to exit the vehicle. After he exited, the Officer removed a knife from his pants pocket and told Ba-Ruiz that he was under arrest. When the Officer attempted to place Ba-Ruiz in handcuffs, he resisted and began to struggle with the Officer. He then pushed the Officer's hands away, causing the Officer to fall to the ground and hit her head. Ba-Ruiz fled the scene on foot into the woods and used a stranger's phone to call someone to pick him up. A short time later, United States Marshals Service deputies observed a male get into a Honda Accord near where the traffic stop had occurred. Officers stopped the Honda and discovered Ba-Ruiz lying in the back seat of the vehicle. Ba-Ruiz was taken into ICE custody and transported to the ICE Birmingham Office.

The Deportation Officer was transferred to the hospital to receive treatment for injuries the Officer suffered during the struggle with Ba-Ruiz.

This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney John G. Camp is prosecuting the case.

An indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.