An illegal alien who was arrested in New Jersey on domestic violence charges but was quickly released has been accused of a triple murder in Missouri.
Luis Rodrigo Perez, 23, a native of Mexico, has been charged with shooting two men to death and wounding two others on November 1. The next day, police allege he fatally shot another woman.
Perez was in a Middlesex County Jail in New Jersey after being arrested in December 2017, but released in February, NJ.com reported.
“… [T]he county did not honor a detainer from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), John Tsoukaris, head of the agency’s Newark field office, said in a news statement Friday,” NJ.com reported.
Corey Price, acting executive director of ICE, was not happy.
“Yet again, an ICE detainer was ignored and a dangerous criminal alien was released to the streets and is now charged with killing three people,” Price said. “Had ICE’s detainer request in December 2017 been honored by Middlesex County Jail, Luis Rodrigo Perez would have been placed in deportation proceedings and likely sent home to his country – and three innocent people might be alive today.”
Said Tsoukaris, “This tragedy might have been avoided had it not been for the reckless policy required of the Middlesex County Jail by their county officials. Despite such policies, ICE ERO will continue to enforce federal immigration law and prioritize public safety in the community.”
“We have tried unsuccessfully to work with Middlesex County Jail in the interest of public safety to accept detainers and to contact ICE prior to releasing criminals. There have been other cases where ICE detainers were not honored and those released went on to commit serious crimes. In this most recent case, Perez had a violent history, but despite that, the detainer was not honored. We hope that this tragic turn of events forces Middlesex to reconsider its policy and that the local elected officials stop protecting criminal aliens,” Tsoukaris said.
Price added, “It is past time that localities realize the perils of dangerous sanctuary policies and resume their primary goal of protecting their residents.”
“In an email to the Associated Press, Middlesex County officials said the detainer wasn’t honored because it didn’t meet the necessary criteria,” Fox News reported.
“This order would have authorized Middlesex County to turn over custody of Mr. Perez prior to, or upon completion of his sentence,” they wrote. “Instead ICE officials chose to do nothing, which places all responsibility of Mr. Perez’s actions squarely upon ICE.”
The county said it adopted a policy last year of honoring detainer requests from ICE if the inmate has convictions for first- or second-degree offenses or is ordered deported by a federal judge.
Perez and Aaron Anderson, 19, are charged with killing their ex-roommates Steven Marler, 38, and Aaron Hampton, 23, after they were kicked out of their Springfield home. Perez is also accused of killing Sabrina Starr, 21, the next day at her house. In all, he is charged with eight felonies.