The Trump administration has repeatedly accused immigrants and protesters of weaponizing vehicles to assault federal immigration agents, but a Guardian review of 26 cases promoted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shows most claims have fallen apart. Only one case resulted in an assault conviction, according to court records and prosecutors.
Review reveals systemic failures
The Guardian examined cases from a February DHS press release claiming a 3,300% increase in vehicle attacks under Trump’s second term. Of 26 accused individuals, 15 never faced federal charges, and 8 had charges dismissed. One person pleaded guilty to assault, and one was convicted of destruction of government property but acquitted of assault. DHS has not provided evidence for the 3,300% figure.
Cases were dropped or never charged in California, Colorado, Arizona, Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, Maryland, and Washington DC. The sole assault guilty plea involved a man who reversed his car during a traffic stop and hit an ICE officer in the leg.
Pattern of unsubstantiated claims
In many cases, DHS issued press releases and social media posts labeling drivers as violent assailants without evidence, and failed to correct the record when claims collapsed. For example, in an Illinois case, DHS said a man rammed an officer’s vehicle into a tree, but state experts found federal agents likely caused the collision. No charges were filed.
Margaret Hellerstein, attorney for Carlitos Ricardo Parias—a TikTok streamer shot by ICE whose assault charges were dismissed—said: “This whole narrative that all of these people were trying to run over officers with their cars is frankly bizarre and laughable.”
Case study: Minnesota father cleared
Juan Carlos Rodriguez Romero, a Minnesota father of two, was charged with three counts of assault after DHS claimed he struck an officer with his car and bit another. Internal DHS records showed the team leader described the vehicle as “almost hitting” an officer, contradicting DHS’s claim. Prosecutors dismissed all charges with prejudice in June, citing insufficient evidence. His attorney, Bruce Nestor, said: “All of DHS’s claims were entirely unsupported and exposed by the contradictory statements of the federal agents.”
Shootings and ongoing concerns
The review comes amid fatal ICE shootings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine. DHS claimed the men endangered officers with their vehicles, but witnesses rejected those claims. Federal officials were reportedly instructed to stop pulling over vehicles after the shootings, though Trump later said stops should continue.
E. Paige White, attorney for Phillip Brown—a US citizen accused of a deliberate attempt to run over officers, later cleared—said: “The scariest thing is we can’t get the truth from this administration even when it’s staring us directly in the face.”
