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Florida woman arrested for punching trooper in the face during ICE operation, AG says: 'Not today, Jennifer'
Image Source: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier X account

Florida woman arrested for punching trooper in the face during ICE operation, AG says: 'Not today, Jennifer'

A local Mexican grocery store owner captured police as they wrestled her to the ground.

A Florida woman was arrested on numerous charges after she allegedly punched a state trooper during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation Tuesday.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said 40-year-old Jennifer Cruz of Jacksonville objected to the ICE operation on Beach Boulevard but ended up getting arrested herself.

'The idea that you're going to assault one of our troopers is unacceptable, and you are going to face consequences as a result of that.'

"This is Jennifer Cruz of Jacksonville. Jennifer disagrees with immigration enforcement and decided to commit a few felonies by getting out of her car and punching a Trooper in the face," Uthmeier said in a post on social media.

"But unlike Minnesota, we don't put up with this nonsense. Not today, Jennifer," he added.

Uthmeier included an image of Cruz's arrest from a police camera.

The owner of the Mi Pueblo Mexican grocery store spoke to WJXT-TV about the arrest that unfolded in front of his business.

"What I witnessed was a traffic stop by the state trooper," Juan Alvarez said. "ICE agents showed up with the state trooper. They detained a driver, the person was driving, and so yeah, they had an operation going on, and after that, they had detained another person, but it seems they got into an altercation with that person. It turned violent, and that led to the presence of a lot of more, you know, police, federal enforcement showing up."

He was also able to record officers taking down Cruz from the window of his shop.

Jail records indicate Cruz was charged with a slew of crimes, including resisting an officer with violence, battery on law enforcement, and driving with a suspended driver's license.

RELATED: Michigan sandwich shop faces backlash for profanity-laced tirade against ICE: 'F**k your BLATANT fascism'

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis commented on the arrest during a media briefing.

"This is not Minneapolis. This is not going to end well for you in Florida," he said. "You have a right to go out there and criticize government policy. You can go out there and protest within respected zones, but the idea that you're going to assault one of our troopers is unacceptable, and you are going to face consequences as a result of that."

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Carlos Garcia

Carlos Garcia

Staff Writer

Carlos Garcia is a staff writer for Blaze News.