By Wamala Sipirian
Published: September 24, 2026
A Ugandan national has been charged in the United States with assaulting a federal officer after allegedly attempting to escape while being deported to Kampala.
Kiiza Donald Atuhairwe was charged on May 30 following an incident at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport two days earlier, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
US prosecutors said two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were escorting Atuhairwe on a commercial flight from El Paso, Texas, to Phoenix, where he was scheduled to connect to another flight bound for Kampala, Uganda.
Alleged Airport Escape
During the layover, prosecutors allege that Atuhairwe broke away from the ICE officers and ran through the airport, pushing several people as he attempted to get away.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, Atuhairwe eventually stopped and turned toward one of the officers.
“Atuhairwe stopped running and turned toward the ICE officer in a fighting stance,” the US Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors allege that when the officer attempted to restrain him, Atuhairwe bit the officer’s left hand and then bit the officer’s right ring finger, causing it to bleed.
He was subsequently restrained and taken to a secure area of the airport.
Final Removal Order
US authorities said an immigration judge had previously determined that Atuhairwe was inadmissible to the United States and issued a final removal order against him on May 6, 2025.
Prosecutors did not disclose when or how Atuhairwe entered the United States or the specific circumstances that led to the removal order.
His case was among a wider group of immigration-related prosecutions announced by federal authorities in Arizona following enforcement operations conducted between May 30 and June 5.
During that period, prosecutors charged 271 people. The cases included 137 people accused of illegally re-entering the United States and 113 accused of unlawful entry.
A further 20 people were charged in 16 alleged migrant-smuggling cases.
Atuhairwe was the only defendant identified in the enforcement report as facing a charge of assaulting a federal officer.
Part of Operation Take Back America
The prosecutions were announced as part of Operation Take Back America, a US Department of Justice initiative focused on unlawful immigration, migrant-smuggling networks and transnational criminal organisations.
Atuhairwe’s case is registered as 26-MJ-8182 in Phoenix.
The allegations against Atuhairwe are contained in a criminal complaint. They have not been established as facts in court, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.