US Citizen Accused of Attempting to Run Down Border Patrol Agent Amid Rising Threats to Law Enforcement

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed the arrest of Olivia G. Wilkins, a U.S. citizen, following an incident where she allegedly attempted to strike a U.S. Border Patrol Agent with her vehicle. The event occurred on August 25, 2025, while agents were on scene assisting Maine State Police and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office with a commercial vehicle rollover accident that involved two individuals unlawfully present in the United States. These individuals have been identified as Jhoan Andres Ortiz-Calderon, who has a final order of removal from an immigration judge, and Victor Hugo Cardona-Calderon, who is in the country on an expired visa and lacks a work permit.

According to DHS, Wilkins, a bystander at the scene, began to verbally confront the law enforcement officers who were escorting the two individuals to a Border Patrol vehicle. She then allegedly maneuvered her own vehicle toward the group, accelerating and swerving in a manner that narrowly missed the officers. Following the incident, deputies from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office pursued Wilkins, who ultimately crashed her vehicle. She was subsequently taken into custody and faces charges including aggravated reckless conduct, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, driving to endanger, hindering apprehension, obstructing government administration, and failure to stop for an officer.

This incident is highlighted by DHS as part of a broader trend of increased hostility and violence directed towards federal law enforcement. Officials pointed to a series of recent events, including a bomb threat at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in New York City, an alleged assault on an ICE officer in San Francisco, and a bomb threat targeting a Dallas ICE facility. DHS attributes this surge in aggression to what they describe as “smears and rhetoric” from activists, politicians, and media outlets that they claim compare ICE law enforcement to oppressive historical figures and have fostered a “culture of hate.” The department stated that this environment has contributed to a significant escalation in assaults against law enforcement officers, with reports indicating a tenfold increase.

The DHS indicated that this incident and others are symptomatic of ongoing, detrimental rhetoric that negatively portrays immigration enforcement agents. The department referenced a series of past events to support this assertion, including arrests of individuals involved in bomb threats against ICE facilities, condemnations of violent assaults on ICE officers, reports of violent extremists attacking ICE agents, the doxing of ICE officers and federal law enforcement, injuries to law enforcement personnel in Texas, and protests involving violence against law enforcement and threats against ICE agents in Los Angeles. These past incidents, as outlined by DHS, underscore their concern about the safety of their personnel and the perceived impact of public discourse on their operations.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from The Department of Homeland Security

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