Federal prosecutors charged an illegal immigrant with spitting on an ICE officer who was arresting him this week, making good on President Trump’s vow that when “they spit, we hit.”

Omar Pulido Bastida, 41, was charged with a felony for the Tuesday incident.

Prosecutors said a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officer showed up at his residence to execute a criminal arrest warrant on a charge of illegal reentry after a previous deportation. Mr. Pulido confronted the officer through an iron security gate at the front door and refused to allow him in.

“No, get out of here. I know my rights,” he said, according to prosecutors, before spitting on the officer through the gate.

ICE personnel then forced their way into the home and found Mr. Pulido hiding in a storage room, where he gave up.

“OK, you got me,” he said.

Mr. Trump earlier this week, in response to what he said was a rash of spitting on police during the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, declared that would no longer be tolerated.

“I have a little statement, when they spit, we hit, nobody is going to spit on our police officers,” he said.

Bill Essayli, the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, cited that in announcing the new charges.

“This defendant found out the hard way: When you spit, we hit — with a felony charge,” he said. “Law enforcement officers risk their lives and safety to uphold the law. To treat them with the disrespect, like this defendant did, mocks our great nation and such behavior will be punished accordingly.”

A magistrate judge ordered Mr. Pulido detailed until his arraignment on July 16.

Court documents say he was ordered deported in 2017.

He was charged in 2022 with illegal reentry, but court documents indicate that case was dismissed by the Biden Justice Department months later.

Prosecutors said he was charged again earlier this year.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.