Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents blame a key Biden Administration policy for the reason a 19-year-old teen was killed by an illegal immigrant.
According to authorities, Antonio Antonio Rodas— an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, had been on the radar of ICE for almost six years before he was arrested and charged with murder for a fatal car accident in Alabama involving Adam Luker.
He was previously arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol in 2021. However, ICE did not take Rodas into custody at that time.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed to the DCNF that they had been aware of Antonio-Rodas’ criminal history and legal status since he was arrested for a DUI in 2021, but cited the COVID-19 pandemic and a directive issued by (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that altered enforcement priorities as a reason for not taking custody of him at the time.
At the time of the encounter, the agency said, ERO officers were prioritizing their enforcement actions in accordance with the Guidelines for the Enforcement of Civil Immigration Law issued by Mayorkas on September 30, 2021.
That policy directive — citing the millions of illegal immigrants currently living in the U.S. — encouraged agencies to exercise “prosecutorial discretion” when determining who should be subject to arrests, detainers, and removal proceedings. The memo also claimed that the majority of illegal immigrants who could be subject to removal have been “contributing members of our communities for years.” Via the Daily Caller.
In addition, COVID-19 put a cap on how many illegal immigrants ICE agents were allowed to arrest and deport. ICE spokeswoman Sarah Loicano toldFOX10 News that Enforcement and Removal Operations temporarily re-directed several resources away from the United States to support Customs and Border Protection.
She that if the Biden Administration had been more forceful in deporting illegal aliens and securing the southern border, incidents such as Luker’s would never have happened.
“That’s the first problem, is he crossed illegally, and he was allowed to stay here,” she said.