A 45-year-old Miami-Dade man is behind bars after deputies say he posed as a high-ranking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, flashed a gun and badge at a food-truck worker, and threatened to pistol-whip the man's son if he didn't pay up. Jonathan Gonzalez-Reyes was arrested Wednesday on charges connected to the alleged extortion scheme.
According to the Miami Herald, the incident traces back to an arrest affidavit describing a confrontation at the El Lider Miami food truck. Investigators say Gonzalez-Reyes showed up at the worker's job carrying a gun and a badge, claiming he held a top position with ICE, and offered to help the man with his immigration issues — for a price.
The allegations go well beyond a simple shakedown. Deputies say Gonzalez-Reyes threatened to harm and pistol-whip the victim's son, and separately threatened to plant drugs inside the food truck so the business would be forced to shut down. He is also accused of pointing a gun toward the victim and activating police-style sirens from his personal vehicle before driving away, according to the Miami Herald's reporting.
Surveillance and a Traffic Stop Led to the Arrest
The case came to a head Wednesday when deputies conducted surveillance at Gonzalez-Reyes's home and then initiated a traffic stop as he was leaving, per the Miami Herald. He was taken into custody and later booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where Miami-Dade jail records showed he was being held on an $8,500 bond as of Thursday.
Gonzalez-Reyes faces a lengthy list of charges: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, impersonating an officer, unlawful use, display or wearing of a police badge or other law-enforcement insignia, and prohibited use of certain blue lights. For his part, Gonzalez-Reyes has denied ever going to the victim's workplace, telling investigators instead that he was simply showing the man his gun, the Miami Herald reported. His public defender did not respond to the outlet's request for comment.
Part of a Rising National Pattern
Miami-Dade's case is not an isolated one. A NBC News analysis found that reports of people impersonating immigration agents have spiked sharply, with at least 31 documented cases in 2025 alone compared with an average of just 5.3 incidents a year over the previous decade. The same analysis identified 84 total instances of impostors posing as immigration agents between 2014 and 2025, and found that 84% of last year's cases involved someone specifically claiming to be an ICE agent.
Violence has also become more common in these encounters. NBC News reported that violent acts were involved in 38% of documented impersonation cases in 2025, up from an annual average of 23% between 2014 and 2024. In one comparable case cited by the outlet, an armed man claiming to be an ICE agent burst into a Philadelphia business in June 2025, zip-tied a 50-year-old cashier, stole $1,000 and fled.
Florida has seen its own share of these incidents. In Martin County, 23-year-old José Juan Lopez was arrested and charged with impersonating a federal law-enforcement agent after allegedly threatening to deport two Hispanic men, according to WPBF. Deputies said Lopez told the men to pull over and show identification, but the pair grew suspicious, drove off and called 911 instead.
It remains unclear whether Gonzalez-Reyes has entered a plea or what direction his case will take moving forward. The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office has not released additional details beyond the initial allegations reported this week.
