by Jason Hopkins
Connecticut law enforcement officials released an illegal immigrant convicted of killing two young children in a drunk driving accident, despite a detainer request lodged against him, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE agents apprehended Israel Alejandro Gonzalez-Arcinega, a 40-year-old Mexican national convicted of two counts of manslaughter, illegal operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and other crimes in Connecticut, the agency announced in a press release on Monday. ICE is blasting local officials in the state for releasing the noncitizen back into the community despite an immigration detainer placed on him.
“Israel Gonzalez was convicted of driving under the influence and killing two Connecticut children,” ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons said in a statement. “His actions shattered a family.”
“We cannot allow unlawfully present convicted felons to victimize the residents of our communities,” Lyons continued. “ERO Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by apprehending and removing egregious offenders like Mr. Gonzalez from our New England neighborhoods.”
Gonzalez was arrested in 2013 following a deadly car crash in Meriden, Connecticut, that killed two children and injured others, according to local reporting at the time. He fled the scene after killing two siblings — an 8-year-old brother and 5-year-old sister — and hospitalizing their parents.
ICE says it lodged an immigration detainer for Gonzalez with the Meriden Police Department immediately following his arrest.
The Connecticut Superior Court in Meriden convicted the Mexican national of two counts of manslaughter; three counts of assault second degree; illegal operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol; and evading responsibility-death/serious injury on April 21, 2014, according to the agency. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
About a year after his sentencing, an immigration judge in Hartford ordered Gonzalez to be deported back to his native country of Mexico.
Despite this deportation order and an ICE detainer request, the agency says the Connecticut Department of Corrections released Gonzalez from their custody of April 2 without notifying their office. However, deportation officers were able to apprehend Gonzalez on May 1 during a vehicle stop in Meriden, the agency announced.
The apprehension was the latest in the ICE’s drive to arrest and repatriate criminal illegal immigrants, despite a lack of cooperation from numerous states and jurisdictions across the country. The agency has taken particular umbrage with New England communities recently, having issued press releases on local authorities in Massachusetts and Connecticut for their refusal to honor immigration detainer requests.
“Detainers are critical public safety tools because they focus enforcement resources on removable noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity,” the agency press release stated.
The Center for Immigration Studies identifies Connecticut as a “sanctuary” jurisdiction, citing state legislation enacted in 2019 that prevents local law enforcement from detaining an illegal alien on immigration detainers unless they are “accompanied by a warrant signed by a judge and the person is guilty of a serious felony or is on a terrorist watch list.”
The Connecticut Department of Corrections did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
– – –
Jason Hopkins is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
