BOSTON—Boston saw not one but two immigration arrests spiral into all-out fights with federal officers this summer — and prosecutors say both suspects now face prison and deportation.

On June 6, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Cesar Pena Pimental, 29, after he allegedly forcibly assaulted and resisted Homeland Security agents during an immigration arrest. Prosecutors say what should have been a routine pickup exploded into a violent confrontation, with officers battling to bring him under control.

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Just ten days later, on June 16, 2025, another Dominican national allegedly did the same. Eddy Rafael Matos-Lara, 35, is accused of forcibly assaulting, resisting, and impeding immigration agents in a separate Boston arrest. He too now faces a federal indictment.

Both men are charged under a statute that covers assaulting or interfering with federal officers, a felony carrying up to eight years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors say each would also face deportation after serving any sentence.

U.S. Attorney Leah Foley and Homeland Security’s New England chief Michael Krol announced the charges, underscoring the dangers agents face when arrests turn into street-level brawls. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Amrhein and David Tobin are prosecuting the cases.

Both Pena Pimental and Matos-Lara remain presumed innocent until proven guilty — but federal prosecutors now point to June as a month when Boston saw two separate immigration busts erupt into violent clashes with the very agents sworn to enforce the law.

Two Dominican nationals face prison after separate immigration standoffs with agents in Boston turned violent

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