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.
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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.

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