Sheriff Ignored ICE Detainer, Released Illegal Alien And Convicted Child Molester Back Into The Community

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ASHEVILLE, N.C. – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested unlawfully present Salvadoran national Marvin Ramirez Torres Wednesday afternoon during a targeted enforcement action in downtown Asheville, one day after the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office refused to honor an ICE detainer, and instead released Ramirez Torres from local criminal custody following his conviction for indecent liberties against a child.

By releasing an illegal alien with a serious sex offense against a child, Buncombe County chose to release a serious public safety threat into the Asheville community where he was free to potentially harm others until his capture by ICE.

“This is yet another example of a clear public safety threat being released into North Carolina communities rather than into ICE custody due to local sheriff policies on ICE non-cooperation,” said Acting ICE Director Matt Albence. “Continued decisions to refuse cooperation with ICE serve as an open invitation to aliens who commit criminal offenses that these counties are a safe haven for persons seeking to evade federal authorities, and residents of Buncombe County are less safe due to these misguided sanctuary policies.”
“It is my sincere desire to work with local partners to whatever extent they are willing to work with this agency in what should be our shared goal to ensure community safety,” said ICE Atlanta Interim Field Office Director John Tsoukaris. “Elected law enforcement officials who chose to ignore the ICE detainer, and the ICE warrant of arrest that accompanied the detainer, are placing politics above public safety and failing their most basic duty to protect their communities. Uncooperative jurisdictions such as Buncombe County should be on notice that as long as criminal offenders are being released, they should get used to seeing a lot more ICE at-large enforcement activity in their communities.”

Ramirez Torres was initially arrested in April 2017 in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, on an outstanding warrant for felony indecent liberties with a child. ICE lodged an immigration detainer against him with Buncombe County in May 2017. Along with the detainer form, ICE provided Buncombe County with an administrative arrest warrant.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act as passed by Congress, ICE detainers, removal orders issued by federal immigration judges, and ICE immigration enforcement in general, is conducted under civil law The “judicial warrant” demanded by the sheriff only applies to criminal cases and does not exist for civil law matters.

However, for every detainer ICE issues the agency also provides an accompanying administrative warrant, or a warrant of removal along with the detainer, which is the warrant that does exist for matters governed under civil law. The Buncombe County sheriff’s claim that ICE did not provide a warrant is false.

Ramirez Torres was convicted of felony indecent liberties with a child in North Carolina Superior Court for Buncombe County on October 29, 2019, and ordered to register as a sex offender. He was sentenced to time served and set for release. The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office then refused to honor the ICE detainer and instead released him back into the community.

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) deportation officers along with special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) were able to locate and arrest Ramirez Torres outside the Buncombe County Courthouse at approximately 3:30 p.m. October 30 when he arrived to register as a sex offender.

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