The Justice Department filed criminal charges against Arnoldo Jose Marquez-Pulido, a Venezuelan national accused of assaulting a federal officer and seizing the officer’s firearm while resisting arrest in Utica, Michigan. Officials said Marquez-Pulido is believed to have entered the United States illegally in 2024 via the San Ysidro port of entry in California.
Homeland Security Task Force agents were surveilling a business in Utica, following tips that undocumented individuals worked there as delivery drivers. After spotting Marquez-Pulido leaving the location, agents conducted a traffic stop. Marquez-Pulido briefly pulled over but then fled at high speed, returning on foot to the business.
During the attempted arrest, Marquez-Pulido is alleged to have ignored commands to stop, struck the agent with an elbow to the face, and grabbed the agent’s Glock 19 service pistol. The officer managed to regain control of the firearm, and additional officers restrained Marquez-Pulido. Both agents involved sustained minor injuries and were treated at a hospital.
U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon of the Eastern District of Michigan emphasized that the charges highlight the dangers law enforcement faces enforcing immigration laws, stating the incident contradicts claims that illegal aliens are harmless. Marquez-Pulido was scheduled for an initial federal court appearance in Detroit, with prosecutors seeking to detain him pending further proceedings.
The case arrives amid ongoing Senate disputes over full Department of Homeland Security funding, with immigration enforcement remaining a key point of contention between Democrats and Republicans.
For more stories on this topic, visit our category page.
