A day after a protest rally in Fort Myers decried the alleged housing of immigration and customs enforcement agents at area hotels, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest of an undocumented immigrant who allegedly assaulted an ICE agent in Fort Myers Aug. 19.
Wednesday evening over 150 people gathered near the Luminary Hotel in downtown Fort Myers protesting what they said was the use of hotels in the city as well as in Estero by ICE agents.
Organizer James Abraham said protesting such as the Wednesday event can lead to change: "In Minnesota, if you remember, ICE came in like gangsters, loud and boisterous. Because of the amount of protests, they changed their complete approach. Now they sneak around and arrest people at airports, at churches. We made that happen. We didn’t just be quiet and allow it. And we’re going to keep making noise until they leave our community."
Thursday morning Uthmeier announced via a press release the arrest of Maria Del Carmen Negrete Raya, an undocumented person from Mexico, on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer following what the released described as an attack on federal immigration officers during an immigration enforcement operation in Fort Myers on August 19.
“Florida will not tolerate anyone—especially those who shouldn’t even be in our country—attacking our law enforcement officers,” Uthmeier said. “Our federal partners are here to enforce the law and defend America’s sovereignty. Those who assault them will face the full weight of the law. Thanks to the Office of Statewide Prosecution, the Florida Highway Patrol, ICE, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for investigating this case and bringing this illegal alien in to face justice.”
On August 19, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Fort Myers attempted to stop a vehicle registered to a non-U.S. citizen.
Uthmeier's release said that after the vehicle’s occupants fled, Negrete Raya confronted the officers, charged toward their vehicle in an attempt to enter it, and kicked and punched the officers, including striking one in the groin. The officer sustained minor injuries as a result.
Uthmeier's release said ICE ERO disengaged to de-escalate.
Uthmeier's release said that Negrete Raya, 39, entered the United States without inspection and filed an asylum application in 2023. She is amenable to removal as an alien present without admission or parole.
She was arrested on three counts of Battery on a law enforcement officer.
National data shows that just in the month of July, 50 thousand immigrants across the country were arrested by ICE, the highest amount under the second Trump administration so far.
Sources say about 100 agents came from the Miami area and have been lodging in four hotels across Fort Myers and Estero since this past weekend. They say the immigrant community is bracing for heightened ICE activities this week in Lee County.
Jane Merriam, one of those protesting Wednesday in Fort Myers, said was dismayed at the recent surge of ICE activities.
All they're doing is separating families and terrifying everybody, and when you take away a husband or a mother or a father, all you're doing is putting their children, who are usually U.S. citizens, in jeopardy, and you're creating more poverty and you’re losing a lot of good workers.
WGCU multimedia journalist Youn-Joo Park contributed to this report. WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
