A woman who allegedly got physical in her response to immigration enforcement now finds herself facing charges of her own, in a case that has gotten national attention.

Jennifer Cruz, aged 40, has been charged by complaint with assaulting officers conducting an immigration operation in the Middle District of Florida.

“According to the complaint, federal immigration officers, assisted by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), were conducting an operation in Jacksonville to locate and administratively arrest aliens who were illegally present in the United States. Cruz was driving by and was recording on her cell phone as an FHP Trooper was pulling over a vehicle for a traffic infraction. Cruz parked near the site of the traffic stop and was yelling at the Trooper as she continued to record. Immigration officers subsequently determined that the two occupants of the vehicle were aliens who were illegally present in the United States,” reads the release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Cruz, who allegedly was using her cell phone while driving, was asked to present her driver’s license. She did not have the physical document. Further investigation revealed that her license was suspended last June, leading to her vehicle being impounded.

When troopers attempted to get her keys from her, Cruz punched one of them. The release from the Middle District documents alleges continued resistance.

“Cruz resisted arrest, including by attempting to strike and kick the officers. As Cruz continued to struggle with them, officers took her to an FHP patrol vehicle, during which she attempted to kick the Trooper whom she had punched. As officers were trying to place Cruz inside the vehicle, Cruz kicked at an ICE officer, a Customs and Border Protection agent, and a Trooper, and successfully struck the CBP agent and ICE officer, whose left hand was injured. Officers were eventually able to secure Cruz in the patrol vehicle, but she continued kicking at the vehicle’s windows, roof, and in-car camera.”

Though video evidence corroborating a portion of the government’s claims exists and has been widely circulated, a charge is not a conviction, and Cruz will get due process and her day in court.

Evan Power, the chair of the Republican Party of Florida, is already gaining endorsements from some powerful Republicans in the state as he announces his intention to run for the Congressional District 2 seat held by U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn, who is leaving the House at the end of this term.

Three of them would likely be Power’s colleagues should he be elected in November.

“Evan Power is the right leader to represent North Florida in the 2nd Congressional District. He’s a proven winner who will fight the radical left, secure the border, rein in reckless spending, and protect Florida taxpayers. I’m proud to endorse Evan Power for Congress,” said U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean, who represents the Jacksonville area 5th Congressional District.

“Evan Power is a proven conservative fighter who knows how to win – and more importantly, how to deliver results. He stood with President Trump, helped make Florida the strongest Republican state in the nation, and never backed down from the left. Evan is exactly the kind of America First leader we need in Congress, and I’m proud to endorse him,” said U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, who entered Congress last year from the 6th District in east-central Florida.

U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who represents the 13th Congressional District, also backs Power.

Power filed this week to run in Florida’s 2nd Congressional District. He first rose to Republican Party of Florida Chair in the wake of a sex scandal that prompted former state Chair Christian Ziegler’s resignation from the position. Power later won re-election to a full term.

He intends to serve out his term as RPOF Chair, which ends in January 2027.

Before that, he was long active in state GOP politics. He also serves as a Republican State Committee member for Leon County and previously served as County Chair. At the national level, Power serves on the Republican National Committee’s Rules, Election Integrity and Presidential Nomination Process committees.

The Florida State University graduate previously worked for Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he served in the Florida Legislature. He later became a lobbyist working on numerous state issues.

The district leans significantly Republican under its current makeup.

CD 2 covers parts of the Panhandle and Big Bend, including Tallahassee, Florida’s capital city. Dunn easily won re-election in 2024 over Democrat Yen Bailey with about 61.7% of the vote. More than 58.5% of voters there supported Republican Donald Trump over Democrat Kamala Harris for President, according to MCI Maps, and more than 60% of voters backed GOP U.S. Sen. Rick Scott’s re-election.

But the lines could soon shift as Florida embarks on a mid-decade redistricting effort. That could significantly impact the makeup of a seat that, as recently as 2014, was represented by moderate Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham.

Graham is not ruling out a run, and neither is former U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, who served three terms in Congress between 2017 and 2023, representing a seat that spanned from Jacksonville to the Tallahassee area.

Power, of course, comes with significant political connections and fundraising capacity. Under his watch, Florida Republicans have massively outraised Democrats and grown a voter registration advantage.

Meanwhile, Keith Gross, an attorney who previously challenged Scott in a GOP Primary, told The Hill that he will also file for the seat.

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Staff writers A.G. Gancarski and Jacob Ogles contributed reporting.