**Woman Arrested After Punching Florida Highway Patrol Trooper During ICE Encounter in Jacksonville**
*JACKSONVILLE, Fla.* — A woman was arrested Tuesday after she punched a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper in the face during an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Beach Boulevard, according to News 6 partner News4JAX.
The woman, identified as 40-year-old Jennifer Cruz, is facing multiple charges, according to jail records. These charges include resisting an officer with violence, battery on law enforcement, driving with a suspended driver’s license, and more.
Juan Alvarez, owner of Mi Pueblo, witnessed the violent encounter between Cruz and law enforcement. Speaking to News4JAX, Alvarez described the scene:
> “What I witnessed was a traffic stop by the state trooper. 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. 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 more police and federal enforcement showing up.”
Alvarez also captured part of the arrest on video. His family has owned the Mi Pueblo store and restaurant for years, and he said this is the first time he has seen such an incident right outside his business.
> “Yeah, honestly, man, it was about 12, 13 officers because there were a lot, and more showed up. The majority of them, I mean, I did see one or two wearing masks,” Alvarez added.
Cruz’s arrest comes amid multiple recent reports of increased immigration enforcement actions across Northeast Florida.
In response to the heightened enforcement, community advocate Reyes held a livestream to raise awareness. Speaking in Spanish and holding back tears, Reyes said:
> “I am hosting this livestream on behalf of those who have been detained, those who are still detained, and for our people who are living with so much fear. I want us to be aware that this is not going to change overnight, with $170 billion. Things are only going to get worse.”
[BELOW: Florida attorney general demands Orange County transport undocumented immigrants]
On Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis held a health-related news conference in Jacksonville, where he was asked about the recent reports of increased ICE operations in Northeast Florida. He stated:
> “We believe that we have a responsibility to help the laws of the country be enforced.”
DeSantis also addressed Cruz’s arrest directly:
> “This is not Minneapolis. This is not going to end well for you in Florida. 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.”
News4JAX has requested Cruz’s arrest report to obtain more details regarding the circumstances that led to her arrest. Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida/2026/01/16/florida-woman-faces-multiple-charges-after-punching-trooper-in-the-face-during-ice-encounter-ag-says/
