Jose De Santiago-Martinez/Mexico/Repeated Drunk Driving, Driving On A Suspended License

ICE San Francisco arrested Mexican national and illegal alien Jose De Santiago-Martinez on August 17 after California courts twice convicted him of drunk driving within about a year yet sentenced him to only 44 total days in jail. He received four days for a first misdemeanor DUI in Sacramento County on March 25, 2024, and 40 days for a second misdemeanor DUI in Placer County on May 19, 2025, despite driving on a suspended license and the serious risk to public safety.

Under California law, a first, second, and third DUI within 10 years are generally charged as misdemeanors, which limited the penalties imposed.

De Santiago-Martinez first crossed the border without inspection in 2004 and was voluntarily returned to Mexico on August 15 and again the following day after reentering; he then came back illegally at least a third time and remained in the country.

ICE notes his case amid a broader pattern of deadly DUI incidents involving illegal aliens, arguing that repeated violations—from unlawful entry and reentry to impaired driving—create a legal and moral obligation to remove such offenders before tragedy strikes.