Illegal immigrant faces charges for spitting on ICE officer in LA

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says an illegal immigrant with a past robbery conviction, and who was previously arrested on murder and assault charges, was arrested after spitting on an agent last Tuesday.

Omar Pulido Bastida, 41, is facing a federal assault charge for allegedly spitting on an ICE agent while they were trying to arrest him for illegally returning to the United States, as he’s been deported before.

“Despite the Los Angeles riots, ICE law enforcement officers arrested Omar Pulido-Bastida. This criminal illegal alien has been convicted of robbery and has arrests for murder and assault,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital about the Mexican national.

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“This is the type of criminal illegal alien that rioters are fighting to protect. How much longer will Governor Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass continue to prioritize these criminal illegal aliens over their own citizens? Secretary Noem has a message to the LA rioters: you will not stop us or slow us down. ICE will continue to enforce the law and arrest criminal illegal aliens,” McLaughlin continued.

Pulido Bastida resides in South Central Los Angeles, and he could face eight years behind bars if convicted of assault.

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“This defendant found out the hard way: When you spit, we hit – with a felony charge,” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement last week. “Law enforcement officers risk their lives and safety to uphold the law. To treat them with the disrespect, like this defendant did, mocks our great nation and such behavior will be punished accordingly.”

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The Department of Justice alleges the man first insulted an ICE officer from his balcony before coming down and spitting on an agent through a gate, saying just before that, “No, get out of here. I know my rights. I’m calling my lawyer.” After that, ICE then “forced entry” into his home and arrested the man, who was hiding and said, “OK, you got me,” before his arrest, the news release added.

Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office. Bass’s office pointed Fox News Digital to a quote from her press conference last week.

“These aren’t the criminals the administration is allegedly targeting,” Bass said. “These are mothers and fathers, restaurant workers, seamstresses, home care workers, everyday Angelenos trying to make a living. We’ve heard stories of unmarked federal vans parked near LAUSD school graduations, a U.S. citizen nine months pregnant who was hospitalized after being detained by federal agents, and an apparel business in downtown L.A. raided, where many Korean and Latino workers work long hours to support their families.”

The arrest announcement comes after anti-ICE protests and riots broke out in Los Angeles last week as the agency did sweeps throughout the region. On Sunday night, President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social that he wanted to see arrests ramped up further to “achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.”

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The president specifically mentioned that operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York could be increased.

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“His plan is clear: Incite violence and chaos in blue states, have an excuse to militarize our cities, demonize his opponents, keep breaking the law and consolidate power. It’s illegal and we will not let it stand,” Newsom posted to X in direct response to Trump’s post.