Federal Charges Dropped Against Woman in Chicago Immigration Enforcement Incident
CHICAGO – Federal prosecutors have dropped charges against a woman involved in an incident with a Border Patrol agent last month during immigration enforcement actions in the Chicago area.
Marimar Martinez, 30, and Anthony Ruiz, 21, had been accused of using their vehicles to impede Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum’s vehicle on October 4th. Agent Exum then fired his weapon, wounding Martinez.
Prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss the charges against both defendants.
The U.S. Attorney’s office stated they are always reviewing facts and information related to cases and investigations stemming from “Operation Midway Blitz.”
Since the operation began in September, the Department of Homeland Security has characterized some protesters as violent. However, several cases against individuals arrested for allegedly impeding or assaulting federal officers have been dropped.
Prosecutors also moved to dismiss charges against Dana Briggs, a 70-year-old Army veteran arrested during a protest outside a federal immigration facility in Broadview, Illinois.
After their arrests, Martinez and Ruiz were charged with assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.
Lawyers for Martinez and Ruiz challenged the evidence, and claimed body camera footage didn’t align with the prosecutors’ claims. They also raised concerns about the handling of evidence.
In a related matter, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has temporarily blocked a lower court’s order to potentially release hundreds of detained immigrants on bond. The appeals court will hear arguments in the case on December 2nd.
