A Venezuelan man will spend nine months in federal prison after fighting with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers inside a transport vehicle last fall, federal officials announced.

Carlos Cadena Duran, 26, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker for assaulting, resisting, and impeding federal officers in the performance of their official duties, according to U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey.

The charges stem from an incident on Nov. 26, 2025, while CBP officers were driving Cadena Duran from Detroit to the Calhoun County Jail. Authorities said Cadena Duran was restrained but managed to undo his seatbelt during the trip. He then began slamming his head, legs, and body against the partition separating the front and back seats.

When officers stepped in to keep him from injuring himself, Cadena Duran threatened them, kicked and tried to headbutt one officer, and grabbed and yanked the officer’s belt buckle, according to prosecutors.

Cadena Duran first crossed into the United States unlawfully through the Texas border in 2023, officials said. Department of Homeland Security personnel took him into custody on Nov. 21, 2025, after CBP officers stopped him while he was attempting to reenter the country at the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit.

Once Cadena Duran serves his nine-month prison sentence, he will appear before an immigration judge for formal deportation proceedings.

“This case provides another example of the danger our immigration officers must face every single day,” VerHey said. “My office will support their work by bringing assault charges whenever this danger escalates into violence against them.”

Robinson Colombini, special agent in charge of the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility, said the agency will continue pursuing cases involving force against its personnel.

“CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility remains committed to supporting and protecting the law enforcement professionals who carry out CBP’s mission every day, often under challenging and unpredictable circumstances,” Colombini said. “Assaults on federal officers will not be tolerated, and OPR will continue to work closely with our federal partners to ensure these incidents are thoroughly investigated and appropriately addressed. We are grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan and our partners for their continued commitment to pursuing accountability in cases involving violence against our law enforcement personnel.”