A Mexican national in the country illegally was arrested Wednesday on felony battery charges after attacking ICE agents in Fort Myers, Florida.
Maria Negrete Raya now faces a felony charge for battery on a law enforcement officer. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office launched the investigation and made the arrest. Her mug shot has been publicly released.
The incident unfolded last week during what appeared to be a coordinated effort to interfere with federal immigration agents. According to the original report, video footage recorded by the activist group itself captured Raya opening the door of an ICE vehicle as agents were preparing to leave after completing a detainment operation. That forced agents back out of the vehicle to physically respond to the disruption. Raya ended up on the ground. Other members of the group then joined in, and the entire sequence was recorded on camera by the activists themselves.
Journalist Julio Rosas reviewed the footage the group chose to release and described what it showed. He noted that the video captures Raya opening the car door to reach the ICE agent as they appeared to be leaving, forcing other agents to push her back. The rest of the group then moved in on the agents. When an agent told the person recording that they had been attacked, she responded by saying the agents had done something wrong, as if they had initiated the confrontation. Rosas described the participants as “wannabe victims.”
The tactic on display is not new. Activists show up at immigration enforcement operations, position themselves in front of agents, and record the encounter hoping to generate footage they can use to claim misconduct. It has been documented in multiple cities. In Fort Myers, the strategy produced the opposite of the intended outcome.
Attorney General Uthmeier offered a three-word response to the incident that captured the broader message: “This isn’t Minnesota.”
Florida’s handling of the case stands in sharp contrast to political environments where similar confrontations have played out differently. The arrest and felony charge sent a direct message that interference with federal law enforcement operations carries real legal consequences in the state.
Raya remains a Mexican national without legal immigration status. The battery charge she faces is a felony under Florida law. The investigation was conducted by the state attorney general’s office, and the case is now moving through the legal system.
The activists recorded the footage themselves. That footage became the basis for the investigation. That is how the operation ended for them in Fort Myers.