Trump administration loses multiple lawsuits alleging raids by immigration agent: report

The Trump administration has lost or dismissed hundreds of lawsuits accusing anti-ICE protesters and immigrants of assaulting federal immigration agents, a report said.

An analysis by The New York Times revealed that of the 558 people charged, 191 charges were dropped and 22 were acquitted. Only four were convicted after a trial, while 246 pleaded guilty and another 95 are pending.

This newspaper reported that the Department of Justice has a record of more than 90 percent of defendants who plead guilty or are convicted. Trump’s court strategy relied on 18 USC 111, a law that makes it a federal crime to assault or forcibly restrain a government official and carries penalties ranging from fines to 20 years in prison, it added.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice for comment.

NEW YORK TIMES FIRE FOR ‘FALSE’ REPORTING OF CRACK INVESTIGATION, FIRE IS BACK

DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis told the New York Times that “it should come as no surprise that there is an increase in the number of referrals under 18 USC 111 as there has been a significant increase in violence and threats against federal law enforcement.”

“Federal prosecutors are right to prioritize these prosecutions and hold people accountable to the full extent of the law,” added Justice Department spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle, explaining how prosecutors, at times, reduce or drop charges based on “mitigating factors identified in the case.”

The New York Times quoted another Justice Department official as saying that prosecutors in some cases dropped charges when the defendants were deported from the United States.

The newspaper said it based its analysis on court filings, transcripts of hearings, videos of meetings and interviews with witnesses and government officials.

ICE RETURNS NATIONWIDE TRAFFIC CONDITIONS UNDER NEW POLICY REQUIRING BODY CAMERAS

An agent of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a targeted operation of several companies in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

It reported that in many of the cases that were lost or dismissed, court records and video showed that government agents started fights, such as shoving, fighting and pepper spraying. Some of the defendants were able to successfully argue that the alleged attacks on federal agents were acts of self-defense, the newspaper said.

The two judges who presided over the cases found that the agents deliberately destroyed evidence, including requiring the defendant to delete photos from cellphones, according to the New York Times.

Police also charged more than a dozen people who allegedly filmed or followed the agents, sometimes honking their horns or shouting words like, “La migra is coming!,” despite no allegations of contact with the agents, the newspaper reported.

In one case, a judge dismissed assault charges against an immigrant after ruling that the agent involved was cut by glass from a car window that the agent had smashed, and in 65 cases, prosecutors dropped or withdrew charges before a deadline to present evidence to a grand jury or jury, the New York Times said.

Anti-ICE protesters confronted federal agents outside the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on Oct. 18, 2025, in Portland, Oregon. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM

This report noted one time, when federal immigration officials were seriously injured by protesters and migrants, including dragging a police officer who put his arm through the car window.