Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsomâs office and the Department of Homeland Security clashed online over the stateâs protection of an illegal alien who killed an 11-year-old boy, with DHS posting a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer rejected by the state.
ICE announced Tuesday that it lodged an immigration detainer with the San Diego Sheriffâs Office for 44-year-old criminal Mexican national Hector Balderas-Aheelor after he was arrested for a felony hit-and-run that killed 11-year-old Aiden Antonio Torres De Paz a day before Thanksgiving. The DHSâ press release said the arrest detainer would not be honored because California is a sanctuary state.
Newsomâs press office responded in a post calling the allegation a âcomplete lie.â
âAs we have repeatedly said: The state coordinates with ICE on the deportation of convicted criminals. California honors federal criminal warrants. Nothing prohibits the federal government from doing its job in this case,â the post states.
Just over an hour later, DHS responded in a follow-up tweet claiming the governorâs office was âplaying word games to keep an illegal alien murderer in America.â
âCalifornia REJECTED the ICE detainer for an illegal alien charged with killing an 11-year-old boy. Gavin Newsom says heâll only cooperate with ICE if the criminal illegal alien is CONVICTED, meaning California will let him roam free even though heâs been arrested for FELONY hit-and-run,â the department wrote.
Along with its criticism, DHS included a cropped picture of an immigration detainerâs rejection on Sunday, with a note reading, âNo qualifying criminal history, however current charge would qualify upon conviction with a new 1247 from ICE.â
Following publication, the department provided the Daily Caller News Foundation with the full filing, with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issuing a statement calling out Newsom and the stateâs politicians.
âThe sanctuary politicians of California and Governor Newsom once again REFUSED to protect the safety and security of American families,â McLaughlin told the DCNF. âItâs despicable that our ICE arrest detainer of a criminal illegal alien who killed an 11-year-old boy would be rejected. When will Governor Newsom and his fellow sanctuary politicians stop releasing criminals into our neighborhoods and putting American lives at risk?â
ICE Detainer Rejected by CA (Image provided by DHS)
When asked about the updated DHS post, including the detainer rejection, a Newsom spokesperson told the DCNF that the federal government was not prohibited from âdoing its jobâ in holding the illegal immigrant responsible for the hit-and-run.
âThis driver needs to be held responsible for the tragic hit and run. Nothing prohibits the federal government from doing its job in this case,â the spokesperson said. âUnlawfully returning to the United States after deportation is a federal criminal offense and California honors federal criminal warrants. The federal government admits a failure to apprehend the suspect when he unlawfully entered the U.S. California law does not prevent them from acting now.â
Before Balderas-Aheelorâs hit-and-run arrest, the criminal Mexican national had been deported from the United States four times, committing a felony when he illegally entered the country a fifth time, according to DHS.
According to local reports, law enforcement in the San Diego area responded to a call on Nov. 26 around 5 p.m. local time and located De Paz injured after he was struck by a vehicle. Officials said the driver fled after hitting the 11-year-old in the roadway in front of his home as he went into the street to retrieve a soccer ball.
De Paz was taken to Rady Childrenâs Hospital in San Diego but ultimately succumbed to his injuries on Thanksgiving morning, according to NBC7.
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