Immigration Authorities Seek Custody of Undocumented Immigrant Charged with Murder

Federal immigration officials are aiming to detain an undocumented immigrant who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration and now faces two murder charges. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) filed a request to take custody of Angelvis Jesús Quintero Fernández in Charlotte, North Carolina, a city known for being a sanctuary that generally does not comply with immigration enforcement, as confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Quintero Fernández, a 22-year-old from Venezuela, stands accused of shooting two individuals several months apart in Mecklenburg County. “The Biden administration’s ineffective CBP One app allowed this person to come into our country and commit murder,” said Lauren Biss, the acting DHS assistant secretary, in a statement. She urged politicians in the Charlotte area to ensure this individual does not return to their community after serving time.

Biss emphasized the need for sanctuary areas to collaborate to enhance safety, adding, “No one wants this killer in their neighborhood.”

Law enforcement responded to an incident involving a deadly weapon on March 22, where they discovered a victim suffering from a gunshot wound. That individual unfortunately died in a local hospital two days later, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD).

As the investigation progressed, Quintero Fernández was arrested while already in custody at the Mecklenburg County Jail. Evidence, such as shell casings linked to Quintero, connected him to another murder that had occurred in January, not far from the March incident.

Quintero has reportedly confessed to both murders and is currently detained, facing serious charges including first-degree murder and several related offenses. The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, which manages the jail, has had a contentious relationship with federal immigration authorities over the years.

Since taking office in December 2018, Sheriff Garry McFadden has been known to deny ICE detainees and has, according to ICE, repeatedly released undocumented immigrants back into the community, even in the case of those with criminal records.

Quintero Fernández initially entered the U.S. in July 2023 using the CBP One app. This Biden-era application enabled over a million foreign nationals to enter the country, but was swiftly discontinued after the return of Donald Trump to the White House, who aimed to repurpose it for assisting undocumented immigrants leaving voluntarily.

The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office has not yet responded to inquiries about this situation.