A Florida woman has been taken into custody after allegedly assaulting a state trooper amid an immigration enforcement action. The incident has drawn considerable attention, particularly due to its anti-ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) undertones.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier highlighted the arrest in a post on X, identifying the woman as Jennifer Cruz from Jacksonville. The accompanying image showed Cruz appearing to smile as law enforcement officers held her.

In a video of the incident, Cruz can be seen kicking at a female officer while other officers secured her hands behind her back.

“Jennifer disagrees with immigration enforcement and decided to commit a few felonies by getting out of her car and punching a Trooper in the face,” Uthmeier commented in his post. “But unlike Minnesota, we don’t put up with this nonsense. Not today, Jennifer,” he added, emphasizing the state’s stance on such actions. Read more here.

The arrest occurred during a routine immigration enforcement operation, with authorities swiftly restraining Cruz following the alleged assault.

Footage shows a chaotic scene as authorities attempted to detain Cruz. As several officers placed her hands behind her back and walked her toward one of their vehicles, Cruz is seen attempting to kick another female officer nearby. Cruz then smirks as the officers detaining her place her on the hood of a vehicle. Once placed in the back of the vehicle, she is seen flailing her legs and continuing to shout at officers until the doors are shut.

A News4JAX reporter spoke to Juan Alvarez, the owner of the Mi Pueblo grocery store which was near where the incident occurred. He said he witnessed a traffic stop involving a state trooper. 

“ICE agents showed up with the state trooper. They detained the driver,” he said. 

“And so yeah, they had an operation going on. And after that, they had detained another person. But it seems they got into an altercation with that person. It turned violent,” he said, noting that more law enforcement showed up.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shared Uthmeier’s post and wrote, “Really bad decision to attack one of our troopers. This isn’t Minneapolis…” 

DeSantis also mentioned the incident at an unrelated press conference on Thursday. 

“I do know that there was a woman who came out and assaulted one of our troopers,” DeSantis said. “Let me just tell you guys this is not Minneapolis. That is not going to end well for you in Florida.”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., quipped in a post, “Never go full Jennifer.”

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at the National Conservative Convention in Washington D.C., Sept. 3, 2025. (Domonic Gwinn/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

“This is how it’s done. In Florida, we respect law enforcement and have no patience for far-left extremists who choose to defend dangerous criminals instead of their fellow Americans. This isn’t Minneapolis. In Florida, if you break the law, you will pay the consequences,” Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., asserted on X.