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An illegal alien from Mexico living in the United States illegally will spend decades in federal prison after assaulting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Diego Barron-Esquivel was sentenced to 20 years—the maximum penalty allowed—for violently attacking and strangling an ICE agent earlier this year in Wichita, Kansas, the Department of Homeland Security told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The sentence comes amid a surge in violent attacks against federal immigration officers, the outlet reported.
“This barbaric criminal illegal alien with a rap sheet a mile long, violently punched one of our officers in the face and head and then began strangling the officer with his own badge cord,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a prepared statement. “Our officers are facing a 1150% increase in violence against them as they arrest the worst of the worst.”
“Secretary Noem has been clear: if you lay a hand on law enforcement, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” McLaughlin added.
Barron-Esquivel, who entered the United States at an unknown time and location, violently resisted arrest when two ICE agents attempted to apprehend him in the Wichita area on Feb. 28, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The Mexican national allegedly punched one agent in the face and head before strangling him with the agent’s badge cord, nearly rendering the officer unconscious until he was able to break free.
Although Barron-Esquivel initially escaped from immigration officers, he was later arrested by local law enforcement, DHS said.
The migrant, who was accused at the time of repeatedly harassing his ex-spouse, has an extensive criminal history that includes arrests for domestic battery, aggravated robbery, felony theft, possession of drug paraphernalia, property damage, and other offenses, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
On Dec. 3, Barron-Esquivel pleaded guilty to one count of forcibly assaulting a federal officer, DHS said. His prosecution follows repeated warnings from senior Trump administration officials that attacks on ICE agents or other federal officers will be met with severe penalties.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, ICE law enforcement officers have been assaulted 238 times, according to figures released by the administration. Officials say that represents an increase of more than 1,150 percent compared with the same period in 2024 under the Biden administration.
Threats against ICE have escalated beyond individual assaults to what authorities describe as coordinated attempts to kill federal agents.
The Department of Justice has previously charged 10 suspects accused of coordinating an armed July 4 attack on an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas, during which a local police officer was shot in the neck.
In a separate incident on Sept. 24, authorities say 29-year-old Joshua Jahn fired multiple rounds from a rooftop in Dallas with the alleged intent of targeting nearby Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducting enforcement operations, the Daily Caller noted further.
Meanwhile, Trump and members of the White House are continuing to boast about inflation coming in at 2.7 percent for November, which was lower than expected. Members of the president’s administration are arguing that the U.S. economy is set to take off in 2026.
Paul Ashworth, Oxford Economics’ chief North America economist, was especially shocked by the numbers, particularly the small rise in housing costs.
“It’s possible that this does reflect a genuine drop off in inflationary pressures, but such a sudden stop, particularly in the more-persistent services components like rent of shelter is very unusual, at least outside of a recession,” he wrote in a note.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed a similar tune, saying they believe “2026 will be a great year for growth, inflation, and the American people” in an interview late last week on Fox News.
