Reuters: ICE Arrests Drivers Following Agents in Crackdown Using “Catch-All” Federal Law
Washington – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has launched a significant crackdown on activists and citizens who follow enforcement vehicles, utilizing a broad interpretation of federal law to arrest and charge drivers with impeding federal officers. A Reuters analysis of federal court records reveals that prosecutions under this statute have more than doubled since the administration began a series of intensified immigration enforcement operations last summer.
The crackdown relies on Title 18, Section 111 of the U.S. Code, a statute traditionally used to prosecute assaults on federal officers. The law criminalizes anyone who “forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates, or interferes” with an official. Since the summer of 2025, the Trump administration has prosecuted at least 655 individuals under this charge, a sharp increase from previous years.
One prominent case involves Becky Ringstrom, a 42-year-old mother of seven from suburban Minneapolis. According to bystander video verified by Reuters, Ringstrom was driving her gray Kia SUV behind federal immigration officers when she was abruptly boxed in by unmarked vehicles. At least six masked agents emerged, one reportedly tapping on her windshield with a metal object. Ringstrom was arrested and cited for impeding law enforcement, and officials informed her that her personal details would be entered into a government database.
“Last time I’m going to warn you,” a Border Patrol agent told Ringstrom during a separate encounter prior to her arrest, according to video footage she recorded. Ringstrom stated she had been maintaining a distance of multiple car lengths while observing the officers in her neighborhood.
In another incident south of Minneapolis on January 29, dashcam footage verified by Reuters shows federal agents swerving to stop a woman driving behind them, then approaching her vehicle with guns drawn.
Objections and Legal Concerns
Legal experts and civil liberties advocates argue that the administration is weaponizing a “catch-all” statute to criminalize constitutionally protected monitoring of public officials. Seth Stoughton, a law professor at the University of South Carolina and expert on policing, questioned the applicability of the statute to non-violent driving.
“Without any physical contact, just following an agent in a car, it’s not clear to me that that’s resistance or impeding in the first place, and it certainly seems like a stretch to establish that as forcible,” Stoughton said.
Deborah Fleischaker, a top ICE official during the Biden administration, condemned the tactic, describing it as “inappropriate and unconstitutional” to arrest individuals peacefully observing law enforcement. “Observing ICE activities is not a crime and should not be treated as such,” Fleischaker stated.
A federal judge in Minneapolis recently issued an order stating that following ICE vehicles at “an appropriate distance” does not justify a traffic stop or arrest. However, that ruling was temporarily paused by an appeals court just 10 days later, leaving the legal threshold for “safe distance” undefined.
Government Stance and Background
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defends the arrests as necessary safety measures. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that individuals like Ringstrom “stalked law enforcement and attempted to obstruct law enforcement from performing their sworn duties.” The agency contends that “agitators” who inject themselves into operations risk the safety of officers, the public, and the individuals being targeted for arrest.
This aggressive enforcement strategy coincides with “Operation Metro Surge,” a broader initiative by the Trump administration to ramp up immigration arrests in sanctuary jurisdictions. The use of Title 18, Section 111 allows for felony charges that can carry prison sentences of up to 20 years, though sentences exceeding eight years are typically reserved for cases involving dangerous weapons or bodily injury.
The data regarding the surge in prosecutions was compiled by Reuters using Westlaw, a legal research database owned by Thomson Reuters. The analysis indicates a systemic shift in how federal agents are handling public scrutiny, moving from avoidance to direct confrontation and prosecution of observers.
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