Federal officials say two recent criminal cases involving illegal aliens in Virginia and Massachusetts have renewed attention on the effects of sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday that ICE officers arrested Rick Martinez Lopez, a Guatemalan national with felony convictions in Virginia, including sexual assault of a child, failure to register as a sex offender, and probation violation.
According to DHS, ICE lodged an arrest detainer with the Richmond City Jail in August. Local authorities declined the request and released Martinez Lopez. He was taken into federal custody on October 14.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the release occurred because of local sanctuary policies. “To allow a convicted pedophile, registered sex offender, illegal alien to freely roam Virginia streets is barbaric,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “Every sanctuary politician in Virginia is putting the safety of Americans at risk with their dangerous and lawless policies.”
Martinez Lopez entered the United States without inspection, DHS said. ICE officials added that enforcement operations are continuing despite the federal shutdown to ensure that “the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens are removed from our streets.”
In Massachusetts, state authorities this week confirmed that Cory Alvarez, a Haitian national pictured above, was sentenced to 10 to 12 years in prison for aggravated rape of a child at a migrant shelter in Rockland. Both Alvarez and the victim lived in the state-run facility at the time.
Former shelter director John Fetherston, who managed a similar site in Marlborough, said the case shows the need for stronger oversight of state-run shelters. “You have documented cases now of these girls being assaulted in shelters run with taxpayer dollars,” Fetherston said. “No one at the top is taking responsibility.”
Fetherston previously reported another case in which Ronald Joseph, also from Haiti, was convicted of aggravated rape of a child after assaulting his 14-year-old daughter in a shelter.
DHS officials say that local restrictions on cooperation with ICE, combined with limited vetting procedures in state-run facilities, have created ongoing challenges for immigration enforcement and public safety.
