A man convicted of murder was “mistakenly” released into the United States after illegally crossing the border, according to reports.
The case concerns 49-year-old Colombian Efrain Vidales Vargas, who was convicted of aggravated murder, aggravated theft and weapons possession in connection with a 2014 incident. In September 2016, a Colombian court sentenced Vargas. Up to 17 years in prison.
“I will never understand in a million years why ICE would release someone who has a warrant or is a suspect or someone who has committed a violent crime like murder.”
Vargas might be like that. Successfully escaped from a Colombian detention facility Because last November, he reportedly They crossed the U.S. border near Yuma, Arizona. He was then captured by Border Patrol and turned over to ICE for further processing.
Ali Bradley, a journalist who has covered issues related to the southern border for years, said: news nation, ICE agents learned of Vargas’ violent past while he was in custody. On Dec. 11, agents pointed out that Vargas had been convicted of murder and had committed other crimes as a juvenile, Bradley reported, citing sources.
Despite this, Vargas was released to the United States with a notice to appear, citing a “lack of domestic bed space due to a surge in cases at the southwest border.” Bradley report.
On May 6, ERO Boston deportation officers arrested Vargas near his home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. A tip-off from an Interpol official in Colombia reportedly led to his arrest.
Vargas is an “undocumented Colombian national wanted by Colombian authorities for murder,” and expects to be deported soon to his home country, where he will “face criminal prosecution,” Bradley said. ICE said in a statement shared by Mr.
ICE also acknowledged in a statement that Vargas was “erroneously” released to the United States last year. The statement implied that overworked personnel would be unable to deal with such an insurgency of illegal immigrants.
The report states, “The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Deportation Service employs approximately 4,000 deportation personnel and maintains a national noncustodial record of more than 7 million noncitizens; It’s increasing day by day.”
Chris Klemm, a retired Border Patrol agent in the Yuma area, told NewsNation that the failure in Vargas’ case was “a serious problem.”[] “It’s a betrayal of the American people,” he added. “I will never understand in a million years why ICE would release someone with a warrant, a suspect, or someone for a violent crime like murder.”
But a statement from ERO Boston field director Todd M. Lyons insisted the agency is committed to “public safety.” “ERO Boston continues to prioritize public safety by aggressively apprehending and removing the most egregious non-citizen criminals from New England neighborhoods,” the statement said.
Without mentioning Vargas by name, Lyons added that the illegal immigrant would soon be returned to his Colombian prison. “This Colombian national is wanted in his home country for some very serious crimes,” Lyons said. “He tried to hide in Massachusetts, and now he will be held accountable for his actions.”
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