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Young mother's federal assault charge dropped after Border Patrol video told different story

Feb 22, 2026·Location: San Diego, CA

Country of origin: Guatemala

Young mother's federal assault charge dropped after Border Patrol video told different story
Photo via sandiegouniontribune.com

Since Trump took office in January 2025, federal prosecutors in San Diego have charged 22 defendants with assaulting federal immigration or border officers, but have dismissed charges against 10 of them—nearly half, an unusually high rate given typical federal conviction rates above 90%. In one case, a 23-year-old mother of a 2-month-old was accused of punching a Border Patrol agent at a checkpoint and was shocked with a Taser, requiring hospital treatment to remove a prong from her breast; body-worn camera footage obtained by her attorney later showed agents had found no evidence of wrongdoing before the confrontation, and the charge was dismissed in August. The dismissals contrast sharply with the Trump administration's claims that assaults on federal officers have spiked nationally by more than 1,000%, and with prosecution trends in other cities like Los Angeles, where federal prosecutors have lost six jury trials on similar charges.

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