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Woman accused of assaulting man in MAGA hat faces possible deportation, ICE says

She was arrested and came to the attention of ICE after allegedly assaulting a man in a restaurant over his “Make America Great Again” hat.

A woman arrested for allegedly assaulting a Massachusetts restaurant patron wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat faces proceedings that could result in her deportation, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

Rosiane Santos is "an unlawfully present citizen of Brazil" who was arrested by ICE agents on Tuesday and "entered into removal proceedings in federal immigration court," ICE spokesman John Mohan said in a statement. She was then released and given notice to appear in court at a later, unspecified date, he said.

Rosiane Santos
Rosiane Santos.Falmouth Police Department

Santos, 41, was arrested for allegedly assaulting a man wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat at a restaurant in Falmouth, a city of around 30,000 on Cape Cod, on Feb. 15.

According to a partially redacted police report, the alleged victim said he was minding his own business when the suspect verbally assaulted him because of his "Make America Great Again" hat, and that she lifted the hat off his head from behind. Police said she also later hit him in the presence of officers.

The suspect told police that the man shouldn’t be allowed in a Mexican restaurant wearing the hat, according to the report.

The police report also says that the suspect appeared intoxicated and that she hit the victim "over the head" as she was being escorted out of the restaurant by officers.

She was charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct and has pleaded not guilty, NBC Boston reported.

Bryton Turner, who said he was the person harassed and who recorded and posted video of the incident, said in a message to NBC News this week that "she started harassing me verbally" as soon as he walked in to the restaurant.

"All I said was 'I can wear this hat where ever I want this is America,'" he said in the message. He said he only videotaped the incident "so she would stop" and that "I didn't think it would blow up like this."

An immigration attorney reported to be representing Santos, Katarina Kozakova, did not immediately return a call on Wednesday. The lawyer told Boston.com that Santos is married to a U.S. citizen and has a pending green card application.

Rosiane Santos holds down Bryton Turner's MAGA hat over his face
Rosiane Santos holds down Bryton Turner's MAGA hat over his face on Feb. 15, 2019 at Casa Vallarta in Falmouth, Massachusetts.Bryton Turner

Kozakova also told the outlet that the arrest by ICE means that Santos must bring her application for a green card before an immigration judge instead of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. "That is the only change this arrest has cost Rosiane in terms of her immigration."

The red MAGA hat worn by some supporters of President Donald Trump has been at the center of at least one other incident this week.

At a high school in Oklahoma on Monday, an 18-year-old student was given a municipal summons after allegedly confronting a younger classmate who was wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat and had what the school district described as a Trump flag. The 18-year-old allegedly knocked the hat off the student’s head, Edmond Public Schools said in a statement.

A police report says that the student was wearing a red, white and blue flag like a cape, and that had the words "Trump" and "Keep America Great" on it. The 18-year-old demanded that the other student take off the flag, then threatened the student, flipped the cap off his head and tried to grab the flag, according to the police report.

Edmond police said in the statement released by the school district that the alleged aggressor and the parents of the other student would meet with the city attorney and "try to work something out," but if no agreement is reached the city attorney could file assault charges against the 18-year-old.