U.S. Department
of Justice
Illegal alien pleads guilty to assaulting Immigration Officer
GAINESVILLE, Ga. - Ricardo Trejo-Martinez, an illegal alien from Mexico, has pleaded guilty to assaulting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deportation Officer. The defendant, during a traffic stop, shoved a deportation officer into oncoming traffic, endangering the officer’s life.
“All law enforcement officers must be allowed to perform their duties free from violent attacks,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “My office will prosecute anyone who assaults a federal officer in this district.”
“Violence against law enforcement is unacceptable and will never be tolerated,” said Steven N. Schrank, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI, alongside our law enforcement partners, is committed to holding accountable those who resort to violence against the brave men and women who work tirelessly to protect our communities.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On May 20, 2025, an ICE deportation officer conducted a vehicle stop in Commerce, Georgia to execute an administrative arrest warrant for an illegal alien. The driver, Ricardo Trejo-Martinez, was the sole occupant of the vehicle. He refused to comply with the officer’s requests to provide identification and identify himself. Once outside the vehicle, Trejo-Martinez shoved the deportation officer into the four-lane highway where vehicles were passing.
Ricardo Trejo-Martinez, 41, of Querétaro, Mexico, pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer. Trejo-Martinez was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 1, 2025. Sentencing has been scheduled for January 20, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.
This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cathelynn Tio is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.