DHS Says Fugitive Laotian National Tried to Hit ICE Officer With Car in Sacramento, Remains At Large

The Department of Homeland Security says ICE officers tried to arrest Laotian citizen Xa Lee, a previously ordered‑deported noncitizen with a lengthy criminal record, during a March 25 traffic stop in Sacramento, California, when he allegedly attempted to flee and tried to strike an ICE officer with his vehicle before escaping on foot or by car. ICE officers deployed tasers during the encounter, and DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said the officer was not injured but that Lee remains on the run. DHS says an immigration judge ordered Lee deported in 2010 and lists past convictions for vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, conspiracy, petty theft, two DUIs, resisting an officer, battery, and felony firearm possession. In a strongly worded statement that critics will see as political messaging, DHS blamed a "disturbing trend" of vehicle attacks on officers on a climate stoked by Democratic politicians who have urged noncitizens to resist ICE operations, singling out California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez and Dan Goldman for past webinars and statements. Authorities are asking the public to report tips on Lee’s whereabouts to an ICE hotline, while the case is already being folded into the broader national fight over sanctuary policies, deportations of convicted offenders, and the risks ICE officers face during field arrests.