Illegal alien charged with assaulting ICE officer with box cutter

WICHITA, Kan. - A Mexican national was charged Thursday with assaulting a federal immigration officer with a box cutter. The charges resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

A criminal complaint filed March 24 alleges that Jose Luis Ramirez-Rico, 31, of Wichita, picked up a box cutter and lunged at an ICE ERO officer on March 17 while the officer was looking for another man thought to live at the same address. The ICE ERO officer was not injured.

According to the complaint, Ramirez let three ICE ERO deportation officers into the residence on S. Hydraulic St. in Wichita to look for an immigration fugitive the officers believed was living there. When one of the officers asked Ramirez-Rico about his immigration status, Ramirez-Rico allegedly became nervous, looked at each of three officers, picked up the box cutter with the blade out, then thrust the box cutter toward ICE ERO officer Gregorio Perez. The officers were able to subdue Ramirez-Rico and knock the box cutter out of his hand without anyone getting injured.

According to the complaint, Ramirez had been working at the Kobe Steak House on S. Rock Rd. in Derby, allegedly using false documents. Additional charges in the case are being considered, said U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom, District of Kansas.

If convicted, Ramirez faces up to 20 years in federal prison. As in any criminal case, a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson, District of Kansas, is prosecuting the case.