Illegal alien's violent tussle with federal officer leads to multiple charges after suspected Biden-era entry

The Justice Department filed a criminal complaint this week against a Venezuelan national accused of assaulting a federal officer and grabbing and possessing the officer's gun while resisting arrest outside a business earlier this month.

Law enforcement officers assigned to the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Task Force, or HSTF, began surveillance near a business in Utica, Michigan, after receiving information that individuals living in the U.S. illegally were working at the site as delivery drivers.

After agents attempted a routine traffic stop, authorities say Marquez-Pulido briefly pulled over before fleeing from officers at a "high rate of speed." 

He then returned to the business location, where he proceeded to flee on foot, the criminal complaint alleged.

An HSTF agent proceeded to tackle Marquez-Pulido after he allegedly ignored the agent's commands to stop and attempted to enter the business, the Justice Department said in a press release.

During the struggle, Marquez-Pulido is accused of striking the agent in the face with his elbow and reaching for the agent's service weapon, identified as a "Glock 19" pistol. Prosecutors say he was able to remove the gun from the agent's holster and briefly wield it before losing control of it as the agent regained leverage. 

Additional officers responded and recovered the weapon from the ground. Authorities say Marquez-Pulido continued to resist before being restrained.

The agent sustained a contusion to his elbow, abrasions to his knees and hands and a contusion to his cheek, officials said. A second agent sustained a knee contusion. Both were treated at a hospital and released.

Marquez-Pulido was scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court in Detroit this week, though prosecutors said they will seek to have him held in custody pending further proceedings.

Marquez-Pulido is believed to have entered the U.S. at a San Ysidro, California, port of entry in 2024, without a visa or valid travel documents.

"Some say that enforcing our nation's immigration laws is unfair because illegal aliens are all harmless," U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon of the Eastern District of Michigan said in a statement.  "Today's allegations break that narrative.

"High-speed flight from arrest, fighting federal agents and grabbing an agent's gun are not 'harmless,'" he added. "And what's 'unfair' is the fact that Americans pay the price for dangerous illegal aliens." 

The news comes as DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials said assaults on officers have increased sharply and vowed to pursue individuals accused of violence against law enforcement.

Senate lawmakers remain sharply divided over how to proceed with fully funding DHS and ending the shutdown that stretched into its 27th day Thursday. 

Immigration enforcement has emerged as a key sticking point for Democrats, in particular, as they continue to grapple over the specifics of a bill to fully fund the sprawling federal agency.

Fox News Digital's Alex Miller contributed to this report.