Man Arrested After Florida Highway Patrol Calls ICE During Traffic Stop
On October 19, Florida Highway Patrol Troopers arrested Rodrigo Cruz Marquez and charged him with driving without a license.
Trooper Rodriguez (first name unclear, badge number 4936) reported the following:
"I, Trooper Rodriguez of The Florida Highway Patrol (here after FHP) am assigned to patrol the area of Alachua County... I was conducting traffic enforcement on US 441 and Northwest 5th Street. I was stopped facing south in the paved median in my fully marked FHP patrol vehicle clearly displaying agency insignia and painted black and tan in the FHP colors.
At about 3:28PM I observed a gray Hyundai SUV traveling north on US 441 in the left lane traveling at a high rate of speed that I estimated to be 60 miles per hour in a 45 miles per hour zone. As the vehicle approached my position, my RADAR unit provided a high pitch audio Doppler tone with no obstructions present and the target speed display screen showed the vehicle's speed at 60 miles per hour.
The gray Hyundai SUV continued traveling north on US 441 and stopped in the left turn lane to attempt a left turn onto County Road 234, the Hyundai stopped at a red light. I overtook the vehicle and stopped in the left lane behind a white vehicle that was directly behind the gray Hyundai SUV. Once the light turned green and the Hyundai SUV performed the left turn, I activated the emergency lights and sirens of my assigned patrol car and started to travel directly behind the gray Hyundai SUV to perform a traffic stop. The gray Hyundai SUV quickly pulled over to the right grass shoulder of the roadway.
The gray Hyundai SUV was bearing a Florida tag of CM82XZ. I made a passenger side approach and advised the driver of the reason for the traffic stop: The driver identified himself as Rodrigo Cruz Marquez (here after suspect) date of birth: 04/10/1969 by his Mexican passport. The suspect advised he did not have a driver's license.
I made contact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Deportation Officer Muniz (badge number 6738) conducted a brief immigration interview and information query of the federal systems on the suspect and confirmed he did not have a legal immigration status and was to be taken into custody.
The suspect refused to answer questions regarding his immigration status and how he entered the United States. The suspect advised he was just passing through.
As of the time of this traffic stop, I was employed as a full time Florida Highway Patrol State Trooper as well as currently credentialled as an immigration officer under the 287(G) program.
The suspect was placed under arrest at 3:39PM for driving without a driver's license and the immigration detainer. While placing handcuffs on the suspect, he started to tense up his arms.
I transported the suspect to the Alachua County jail in my patrol vehicle without further incidents.”
State Attorney Brian Kramer’s office of the Eighth Judicial Circuit quickly filed formal charges against Cruz Marquez. Court records indicate he posted a $150 cash bond for the local charge. It's unclear if he was released or if he was immediately handed off to federal authorities after doing so. The ICE website shows he is now in their custody at the Florida Baker Correctional Institute.
Cruz Marquez's case is just one example out of thousands of immigration arrests by FHP, state data shows.
FHP has had over 10,000 encounters with suspected unauthorized immigrants in the state since August 2025. Roughly 1,400 encounters did not lead to an arrest. Roughly 8,300 were arrested on federal immigration charges while less than 700 were arrested on local/state charges.
