THE REALITY OF MIGRANT CRIME
There’s been an ongoing political debate lately about crimes committed by migrants who entered the United States illegally. Actually, there’s not much to debate about their first unlawful act — entering the United States without authorization — but much disagreement about how many illegal border crossers commit crimes after that.
In recent weeks, Republicans have publicized the murder of Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student who police say was abducted and killed by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan migrant who entered the United States illegally in September 2022.
Now there is another migrant crime in the news, this time in New York City. Last week police raided a house in the Bronx that had been taken over by migrant squatters who had entered the U.S. illegally. In addition to arresting eight of them, police confiscated several firearms, extended magazines, ammunition, plus the drugs ketamine and cocaine.
In true New York fashion, a judge quickly freed most of the suspects without bail. At that point, the Enforcement and Removal Operations office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested three of them. How did they do that? Officers just went back to the house in the Bronx, where the suspects had returned. Now, it appears four others have also been picked up by ICE.
In response to inquiries by Fox News, ICE has released some background information on each suspect. According to ICE, Suspect No. 1, Yoessy Pino Castillo, entered the U.S. illegally near Brownsville, Texas, on May 6, 2023, and was “released into the United States as an alternative to detention.” On Jan. 6 of this year, she was arrested for shoplifting. Then, on March 27, at the house in the Bronx, New York police arrested her for “criminal possession of a weapon, second degree; loaded firearm on school grounds; criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell; and acting in a manner to injure a child.” She was immediately released without bond.
Suspect No. 2, Yojairo Armando Martinez, entered the United States illegally near El Paso, Texas, on Sept. 22, 2022. He was immediately released into the country “as an alternative to detention.” He never reported to immigration authorities, as his release required.
Suspect No. 3, Hector De Sousa Villalta, entered the United States illegally near Brownsville, Texas, on May 3, 2023. On Aug. 28, 2023, he was arrested in Yonkers, New York, and charged with attempted murder and assault with intent to cause serious injury. He was released from jail again. He was released yet again and was later picked up by ICE.
Suspect No. 4, Javier Jose Albornoz Marchan, entered the United States illegally near El Paso, Texas, on May 6, 2023. He was immediately released into the country “as an alternative to detention.” On Jan. 6, 2024, he was arrested again for shoplifting. And on March 27, he was arrested at the Bronx house.
Suspect No. 5, Yerbin Benjamin Lozado Munoz, entered the United States illegally near Eagle Pass, Texas, on Oct. 3, 2022. He was immediately released “as an alternative to detention.” The March 27 arrest at the Bronx house was apparently his first arrest in the United States.
Suspect No. 6, Johan Jose Cardena Silva, entered the United States illegally near Del Rio, Texas, on Oct. 3, 2022. He was ultimately ordered removed from the country. Then, he either was removed and got back in, or he never left, because he ended up in the Bronx house on March 27, facing gun and drug charges.
Less is known about the last two suspects, but you get the idea.
We are seeing the results of the confluence of two Democratic policies — one, the arrival of large numbers of illegal border crossers who were allowed, unvetted, to remain in the United States, and two, the practice of releasing many suspects accused of serious crimes without bail. It’s a mess. And that is on top of all the other social dislocations and financial burdens created by a massive influx of unvetted illegal crossers. It’s an issue that is not going away, especially in a presidential election year.