SouthernWorldwide.com – A man from New Jersey has been apprehended and faces charges for allegedly biting two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers during a tumultuous anti-ICE demonstration outside a Newark detention facility.
Brendan John Geier, a 26-year-old resident of Madison, New Jersey, was taken into custody on Thursday. He has been charged with assaulting federal officers and causing bodily injury, as confirmed by the Department of Justice.
According to a news release from the DOJ, the incident occurred outside Newark’s Delaney Hall detention center. Protesters have been gathering at this location for over a week, and some have been accused of assaulting federal agents.
“Peaceful protest does not translate to violently attacking federal law enforcement officers,” stated Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in a prepared statement.
Blanche further elaborated that federal officers are tasked with protecting United States’ property and facilities. He noted that with minimal support from local law enforcement in New Jersey, rioters are reportedly regrouping and escalating their actions.
The Acting Attorney General indicated that additional arrests may be forthcoming as authorities continue their investigation into the ongoing demonstrations.
“We will not tolerate the vicious attacks we have seen in Newark over the last few days, and we will make arrests and hold individuals accountable for their criminal conduct,” he vowed.
The demonstrations have, at times, become confrontational. Federal officials have reported that agents have deployed pepper spray and utilized crowd-control tactics to push back demonstrators.
“As alleged in the Justice Department’s complaint, this violent rioter savagely bit an ICE law enforcement officer outside of Delaney Hall,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “The Trump Administration will always stand with our law enforcement officers.”
He also emphasized that “anyone who assaults a law enforcement officer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The DOJ detailed that the incident transpired around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday while federal officers were engaged in perimeter security operations at the Newark facility.
Prosecutors stated that a substantial group of demonstrators obstructed a roadway leading to the detention center. This action necessitated deportation officers to form a line and advance towards the crowd, which allegedly included Geier.
According to the prosecution, demonstrators disregarded repeated orders to move back and continued to occupy the roadway.
“Geier instead engaged in a struggle with deportation officers, kicking officers and ultimately biting an officer’s forearm, and another’s knuckle,” the DOJ stated in their news release.
Both officers involved in the incident received medical treatment at a local hospital, authorities confirmed.
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This announcement followed just hours after Blanche revealed that a separate individual had been arrested outside Delaney Hall. This individual is accused of making death threats against an ICE officer and the officer’s family.
