An illegal alien wanted for allegedly murdering his wife was found living in the Richmond, Virginia, area by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Demetrio Ignacio-Flores, a 38-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, has been wanted in his native Oaxaca, Mexico, for allegedly murdering his wife in 2010. A decade later, ICE agents found Ignacio-Flores living in the Richmond area under a false identity.
Ignacio-Flores was first encountered by U.S. Border Patrol in April 2011 near Laredo, Texas, and was voluntarily returned to Mexico. Some time thereafter, ICE officials say Ignacio-Flores returned illegally to the U.S. by crossing the border.
Despite being wanted by Mexican officials on murder charges, Ignacio-Flores was able to live in Richmond under a false identity for at least six years. In 2014, Ignacio-Flores was convicted of drunk driving and twice driving without a license but was never turned over to ICE agents.
“This is the perfect example of why someone with low-level convictions should be turned over to ICE,” ICE official Lyle Boelens said in a statement. “Even though Ignacio-Flores hadn’t been convicted of any high-level crimes in the U.S., he is wanted in his native country for murder.”
The Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office does not hold illegal aliens for ICE when a detainer is issued, instead requesting that federal immigration officials provide a court order. The policy has put Chesterfield County on the Center for Immigration Studies’ sanctuary jurisdiction map since 2014.
It is unclear if ICE had placed a detainer on Ignacio-Flores after his convictions in 2014.
Ignacio-Flores is currently in ICE custody and is awaiting immigration proceedings before a judge with the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.