FORT MYERS, Fla. — An illegal alien was arrested on battery charges following an alleged attack on federal immigration agents during an enforcement operation in Fort Myers, state officials announced Thursday. Maria Del Carmen Negrete Raya, 39, a Mexican citizen, faces three counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, according to the office of Attorney General James Uthmeier. “This isn’t Minnesota,” Uthmeier said. Federal officers are here to help defend America’s sovereignty, and our Office of Statewide Prosecution launched an investigation into this incident.Early this morning, Maria Negrete Raya, of Mexico, was arrested for battery on a law enforcement officer.This isn’t Minnesota. https://t.co/qPvV9d0woL— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) August 27, 2026 The incident occurred Aug. 19, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers attempted to stop a vehicle registered to a non-U.S. citizen. Authorities said the occupants of the vehicle fled before Negrete Raya aggressively confronted the officers, charged toward their vehicle and physically struck them. One officer suffered minor injuries after being kicked in the groin, officials said. ICE officers disengaged to de-escalate the situation before the arrest. “Florida will not tolerate anyone—especially those who shouldn’t even be in our country—attacking our law enforcement officers,” Uthmeier said in a statement. “Those who assault them will face the full weight of the law.” State prosecutors plan to seek reclassification of the charges under Florida Statute 775.0848 based on Negrete Raya’s status as an unauthorized alien. If reclassified, the charges would become second-degree felonies, each carrying a potential penalty of up to 15 years in prison. Records show Negrete Raya entered the United States without inspection and filed an asylum application in 2023. Officials said she remains amenable to removal proceedings. The case was investigated by the Florida Highway Patrol Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence in coordination with ICE ERO, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of Statewide Prosecution.