29 criminal aliens released by Franklin County Sheriff's Office in recent weeks

COLUMBUS — The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has released 29 criminal aliens and immigration violators since November 2019, despite written detainer requests filed with them by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“When dangerous criminal aliens are released into the community, public safety is needlessly put at risk because of the individual’s propensity to re-offend,” said Rebecca Adducci, field office director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Michigan and Ohio. “ICE remains committed to arresting and removing criminal aliens in the interest of public safety and national security, despite local decisions to not honor detainers and jeopardize the safety of its citizens.”

ICE recently apprehended the following criminal alien after his release from the Franklin County Sherriff’s Office with an active detainer in place:

• Hajir Muhammud, a 59-year old national of Somalia, was arrested by local authorities Dec. 27, for failure to register as a Tier 1 sex offender. He is a convicted sex offender for crimes involving children. ICE lodged a detainer following his arrest. He was subsequently released after Franklin County declined to honor the ICE detainer. On Jan. 6, ICE arrested Muhammud, and he is currently in custody pending removal proceedings.

However, several criminal aliens released by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office are currently at-large. Efforts by ICE to apprehend these men are currently underway. They include: 

• Edgar Moreno-Soto, a 25-year-old Mexican national, was arrested Nov. 6, for felony firearm charges, drugs, among other charges. ICE lodged a detainer after his arrest. He was subsequently released after Franklin County declined to honor the ICE detainer. His current location is unknown.
• Manuel Vazquez-Sanchez, a 25-year-old Mexican national, was arrested Nov. 8, for domestic violence, assault, falsification and menacing. He has been removed from the U.S. twice since 2018 ICE lodged a detainer after his arrest. He was subsequently released after Franklin County declined to honor the ICE detainer. His current location is unknown.
• Arturo Maya-Sanchez, a 28-year-old Mexican national, was arrested Nov. 9, for domestic violence, DUI and domestic violence. He has been removed from the U.S. twice since 2018. ICE lodged a detainer after his arrest. He was subsequently released after Franklin County declined to honor the ICE detainer. His current location is unknown.
• Marvin Fabricio Herdnandez-Chicas, a 24-year-old Salvadoran national, was arrested Nov. 3, for domestic violence and assault. ICE lodged a detainer after his arrest. He was subsequently released after Franklin County declined to honor the ICE detainer. His current location is unknown.
• Martin Antonio Paredes-Zamorano, aka Wilfred Vega, a 31-year-old Mexican national, was arrested Dec. 15, for DUI and having a loaded firearm in his vehicle. He was previously removed from the U.S. in 2014. ICE lodged a detainer following his arrest. He was subsequently released after Franklin County declined to honor the ICE detainer. His current location is unknown.

 If you have any information on the above at-large individuals, please call the ICE tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423).

About Detainers

ICE lodges detainers on individuals who have been arrested on criminal charges and who ICE has probable cause to believe are removable aliens.  The detainer asks the other law enforcement agency to notify ICE in advance of release and to maintain custody of the alien for a brief period of time so that ICE can take custody of that person in a safe and secure setting upon release from that agency’s custody. 

When law enforcement agencies fail to honor immigration detainers and release serious criminal offenders onto the streets, it undermines ICE’s ability to protect public safety and carry out its mission. This negatively impacts public safety and ICE’s efficiency in the apprehension of criminal aliens. Federal immigration laws authorize DHS to issue detainers and provide ICE broad authority to detain removable aliens. 

Congress has established no process, requirement, or expectation directing ICE to seek a judicial warrant from already overburdened federal courts before taking custody of an alien on civil immigration violations. This idea is simply a figment created by those who wish to undermine immigration enforcement and excuse the ill-conceived practices of sanctuary jurisdictions that put politics before public safety.

Sanctuary Policies Put Public Safety at Risk

• When law enforcement agencies don’t honor ICE detainers, these individuals, who often have significant criminal histories, are released onto the street, presenting a potential public safety threat. 
• Any local jurisdiction thinking that refusing to cooperate with ICE will result in a decrease in local immigration enforcement is mistaken. Local jurisdictions that choose to not cooperate with ICE are likely to see an increase in ICE enforcement activity, as the agency has no choice but to conduct more at-large arrest operations. A consequence of ICE being forced to make more arrests on the streets, the agency is likely to encounter other unlawfully present foreign nationals who would not have been encountered had we been allowed to take custody of a criminal target within the confines of a local jail.     
• Additionally, once these criminals are out on the street, confirming their whereabouts is often time consuming and resource intensive. Many of our arrest targets are seasoned criminals who are savvy about eluding law enforcement.