NewsVine_Mariyam
Diamond Member
So had he been arrested instead of murdered at the scene, the sentence for obstruction is as follows:
This statute applies to anyone who:
ICE officers are covered under this statute because they are federal officers.
Penalties under 18 U.S.C. § 111:
- Simple obstruction (no weapon or injury):
Up to 1 year in prison (misdemeanor). - If physical contact occurs:
Up to 8 years in prison (felony). - If a deadly or dangerous weapon is used or serious bodily injury results:
Up to 20 years in prison.
In U.S. law:
- Obstruction of justice or interference with a federal officer is a prosecutable offense, not one that justifies the use of deadly force.
- Lethal force is only lawful under very narrow conditions—typically when the person poses an immediate threat of death or serious bodily harm to officers or others.
- Use of force guidelines—from both DOJ and DHS—require de-escalation whenever possible, especially in immigration enforcement.
And for clarification:
Reference to a weapon under the statute means use of the weapon to obstruct, not merely its presence—such as in this case, where it was legally carried in a concealed manner.
Likewise, “physical contact” refers to contact initiated by the individual, not contact resulting from the individual being tackled, dogpiled, or making incidental contact with agents while attempting to defend oneself or prevent physical injury inflicted by the aggressive actions of the agents.
