In a dramatic altercation in St. Paul, Minnesota, federal immigration officers faced a dangerous encounter with a Cuban national on Sunday. The incident unfolded when the individual, identified as Juan Carlos Rodrigues Romero, allegedly collided with ICE vehicles and injured agents while resisting arrest.

The situation escalated after ICE officers spotted Romero, who is in the country illegally, getting into a white SUV near Westminster Street. They proceeded with a lawful traffic stop on December 21. Despite being ordered to roll down his window, Romero reportedly refused to comply, even after being warned that the officers would need to break the window if he continued to ignore their commands.

Instead of cooperating, Romero attempted to evade the officers, which allegedly resulted in him striking one of them during his escape bid. This violent confrontation underscores the challenges faced by immigration officials in enforcing the law and ensuring public safety.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that the suspect had entered the United States through CBP One, a process used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the complexities and risks involved in immigration enforcement.

ICE officers were injured after a Cuban illegal alien rammed vehicles, struck agents and resisted arrest in St. Paul. Suspect entered the U.S. via CBP One. (DHS)

ICE officers pursued Romero until he pulled into a parking lot near his residence, striking two parked vehicles.

Officers again stopped Romero and ordered him out of the vehicle, but he allegedly rammed an ICE unit and struck another officer.

The officer who was struck defensively fired two rounds from his service weapon at Romero’s vehicle, ICE said, but no one was hit and Romero drove off.

ICE officers were injured after a Cuban illegal alien rammed vehicles, struck agents and resisted arrest in St. Paul. The suspect entered the U.S. via CBP One. (DHS)

Romero then drove to the front entrance of his apartment complex, rammed another ICE vehicle and attempted to flee on foot toward his apartment.

Officers chased Romero down and brought him to the ground, where he violently resisted arrest and bit one of the officers, ICE said.

Romero was eventually subdued and placed in handcuffs.

Two officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Romero, who remains in ICE custody, was also transported to a hospital for evaluation.

ICE said Romero was admitted into the U.S. in 2024 under the Biden administration’s CBP One app.

CBP One mobile app searching for an appointment to enter the United States outside the temporary stay of the National Migration Institute (INM) in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on May 5, 2023. (Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images)

In April, migrants who entered the U.S. under CBP One had their protections terminated and were ordered to leave the U.S. immediately or face a permanent ban from reentering the U.S.

The app was used by nearly 1 million migrants to schedule appointments at official ports of entry before they were paroled into the U.S. The migrants were permitted to seek asylum and given temporary work authorization for two years while they waited for the outcomes of their respective proceedings. 

Trump ended the use of the CBP One app to parole migrants on his first day in office. His administration has also paused applications for parole programs and allowed ICE to cancel parole statuses of migrants.

The CBP One app launched in January 2023 and was used to admit more than 936,500 people through December 2024, the New York Post reported, citing DHS data.

The Biden administration had expanded the use of the CBP One app to allow migrants to enter the U.S. at ports of entry or via a separate parole process. That process involved them uploading information including a photograph.