Mexican immigrant arrested in Florida on felony battery charges after confronting ICE

During an ICE operation in Fort Myers on August 19, 2026, agents attempted to stop a car linked to an undocumented immigrant. After the occupants fled, Maria Del Carmen Negrete Raya confronted the officers, ran toward their vehicle, and physically assaulted them, punching and kicking one officer and causing minor injuries to another. The encounter was recorded by a by-stander and prompted Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to announce her arrest on three felony battery counts.

Negrete Raya, 39, entered the United States without inspection and filed an asylum application in 2023; she is now subject to removal proceedings. The charges, filed under Florida Statute 784.07(2)(b), may be reclassified as second-degree felonies under Statute 775.0848, each carrying up to 15 years in prison. The investigation involved the Office of Statewide Prosecution, Florida Highway Patrol, ICE, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. A conviction would likely result in denial of her asylum claim and deportation to Mexico.