Kansas Deputy Killed Because of Sanctuary City Policy, Say Two U.S. Senators

A deputy sheriff in Kansas was allegedly killed by an illegal alien with a criminal history of drunk driving. Now, two Congressional leaders are demanding to know why the illegal alien was not reported to U.S. Immigration Enforcement (ICE) following his two prior arrests.

Johnson County, Kansas, Sheriff Master Deputy Brandon Collins was conducting a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 69 near Overland Park in the early morning hours of September 11, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP). The deputy got back in his patrol car which was then struck from behind by a pickup truck. The patrol car burst into flames and Collins died inside the burning vehicle. The driver of the pickup truck fled the scene but was captured a short time later.

Police dogs were brought to the scene and the driver was tracked down and arrested, Kansas City Star reporter Robert Cronkleton wrote. The driver was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash.

Officials determined the driver was intoxicated at the time of the crash, the ODMP reported. He was later identified by officials as Adrian Espinosa-Flores. It was later learned that Espinosa-Flores is an illegal alien with a prior criminal history that includes a DUI conviction in California. He has now been charged with Involuntary Manslaughter and leaving the scene of a traffic crash involving a death.

U.S. Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA), who serves as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Jerry Moran (R-KS) have written a letter, attached below, to Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, demanding information about the criminal and immigration history of Espinosa-Flores.

The senators wrote, “It appears that Flores was able to evade removal by taking advantage of at least one sanctuary jurisdiction. As a result, a law enforcement officer was killed, allegedly by Flores while again driving under the influence.”

Espinosa-Flores was convicted in Los Angeles County, California, in 2001 for DUI after an arrest in the city of Pomona, KSBH News’ Cynthia Newsome and Andy Alcock reported. At that time he was using the name Arturo Espinoza Mercado. Officials in that jurisdiction did not report the arrest and conviction of the illegal alien to ICE officials, according to the senators’ letter. He was also arrested in by the Overland Park Police Department for driving without a license in 2013. That jurisdiction also did not notify ICE of his arrest. Instead, Espinosa-Flores paid $280 in fines and fees and was sent on his way.

“ICE was not notified by authorities in California or Kansas of either arrest,” Neudauer wrote in his email response to the AP inquiry.

An Associated Press report published by the Huron Daily Tribune indicated that ICE Spokesman Shawn Neudauer indicated his agency has now place an immigration on Espinoza-Flores. He also confirmed that had the DUI conviction been reported it would have made the illegal alien a priority enforcement case and they would have taken him into custody. Instead, the man was allowed to remain in the United States and allegedly kill Master Deputy Collins while driving drunk again.

“It seems Deputy Collins died at the hands of someone who broke our laws and should not have been allowed to remain in the United States following his multiple interactions with law enforcement,” the two senators wrote.

The senators requested the following information from Secretary Johnson:

1. The alien registration number for Adrian Espinosa-Flores, his complete alien file (A-file), including any temporary files, working files, or Service Center files, and all documents and items contained in them, all reports or notifications generated by DHS or in its possession about him, whether currently in written or electronic form, including, but not limited to, the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Executive Summary, criminal history or immigration summaries, detainers or requests for notification, I-213(s), and Notice(s) to Appear or other charging documents created to seek his removal from the United States.
2. Please identify each and every date on which Adrian Espinosa-Flores was encountered by a law enforcement agency in the United States, to include criminal and civil arrests, the nature of the charge, the jurisdiction where the arrest occurred, the disposition of that charge, the date(s) on which he was released from the custody of that law enforcement agency, and the reason(s) for the release.  Please provide the arrest and disposition documentation for each encounter.
3. How and when did Adrian Espinosa-Flores enter the United States? Was he ever served with a Notice to Appear?  Was it filed with an immigration court? Please explain.
4. Did Adrian Espinosa-Flores ever apply for any immigration benefits, including deferred action?  If so, was any application approved?  Please provide copies of any application that may have been submitted, whether or not adjudicated.
5. Had Adrian Espinosa-Flores every been removed previously? If so, when?
6. Has ICE issued a detainer or request for notification to any entity regarding Adrian Espinosa-Flores? Please explain.
7. Was Adrian Espinosa-Flores a member of, or associated with any criminal gang? Please explain.
8. If Adrian Espinosa-Flores had been encountered by DHS enforcement officials prior to his arrest, would he have met the requirements to be considered a priority for removal under the Administration’s Priority Enforcement Program? If so, please provide the exact reason for such consideration. If not, why not?
9. Hs the victim, or his immediate family members, been contacted by officials at ICE? Please provide details.

This is the second such letter Grassley has written to Secretary Johnson this month. Breitbart Texas reported on Tuesday, that Chairman Grassley joined with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), to write Johnson about the reason that accused serial rapist Nicondemo Coria-Gonzales was not prosecuted for felony re-entry after ICE agents requested the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas file the charges.

Funeral services for Master Deputy Collins were held late last week. He was the third Kansas City area law enforcement officer to be killed in the line of duty this year. Kansas City, Kansas, Police Captain Robert Meltron was shot and killed on July 19 and Detective Brad Lancaster was shot and killed on May 9, according to the Kansas City Star report.

This year, 89 officers have died in the line of duty. Ten officers have been killed in vehicular assaults including Master Deputy Collins, the ODMP reports. 40 officers have been killed by gunfire.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.

2016-09-16 CEG – Moran to DHS – Espinosa Flores by BobPriceTX on Scribd