HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I A Ugandan is facing up to 20 years in US federal prison. This is the maximum prison sentence that can apply to an assault on a federal officer when the offence involves bodily injury, under the relevant federal law. He also faces a potential fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.
Donald Kiiza Atuhairwe, a Ugandan citizen who was being deported from the United States, is facing a federal charge of assaulting a federal officer after allegedly biting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during an escape attempt at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona said Atuhairwe was charged on May 30, 2026, after the May 28 incident. Federal prosecutors said he had already been ordered removed from the United States by an immigration judge.
The incident happened while two ICE officers were escorting Atuhairwe on a commercial flight from El Paso, Texas, with Kampala as the ultimate destination.
During a layover at Terminal 4 of Phoenix Sky Harbor, Atuhairwe reportedly asked the officers for permission to take a smoke break. When the request was denied, authorities allege that he broke away and ran through the terminal.
According to federal court documents, he pushed several people as he attempted to escape. Officers told investigators that some of those affected included “older adults and children.” He eventually stopped running and turned toward the pursuing officers in what investigators described as a fighting stance.
An ICE officer then attempted to restrain him. During the struggle, prosecutors allege, Atuhairwe bit the top of the officer’s left hand before biting the officer’s right ring finger.
The finger was reportedly bleeding after the incident. Other law enforcement officers eventually helped restrain Atuhairwe and took him to a secure area of the airport.
The case has also generated sensational claims online suggesting that Atuhairwe “ate” an ICE officer. Federal court records, however, describe a physical struggle in which he allegedly bit the officer’s hand and finger, rather than anything resembling the more extreme descriptions circulating online.
Atuhairwe had originally entered the United States as an international student and attended the University of Wisconsin-Superior. According to court and media reports, he was convicted of sexual assault in Wisconsin in 2023. An immigration judge subsequently found him inadmissible and issued a final order of removal on May 6, 2025.
Following the airport incident, the new federal criminal case took precedence over his immediate removal. He remains in federal custody while the assault case proceeds through the U.S. court system.
Court documents indicate that Atuhairwe later told police that he ran because he was terrified of being sent back to Uganda and had “lost his mind.” He also reportedly told investigators that the biting was accidental because he could not breathe and the officer’s finger was in his mouth. He expressed a desire to apologise.
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