ICE arrests fugitive in Georgia wanted for Chicago-area sex crime
ATLANTA – A Fugitive Operations Team assigned to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Atlanta working as part of a U.S. Marshals fugitive task force arrested an illegally present Mexican national May 4 who is presently wanted for aggravated sexual abuse in Cook County, Illinois.
Gerardo Diaz-Rodriguez, a Mexican national who illegal re-entered the United States after being allowed to voluntarily depart the United States in lieu of formal removal in April 2003, was arrested by ICE deportation officers at his Clayton County residence during a targeted enforcement operation May 4 in concert with the U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force.
Mr. Diaz was previously arrested by Clayton County authorities April 20 on a misdemeanor charge under a fictitious name. Clayton County subsequently released him, but an ICE deportation officer who reviewed the record was able to determine the man arrested under a fictitious name was in fact Mr. Diaz and subject to an active warrant out of Cook County for aggravated sexual abuse.
Mr. Diaz was rebooked into the Clayton County jail following his May 4 capture. He is presently awaiting extradition to Cook County to face the aggravated criminal sexual abuse charge there.
ICE has lodged an immigration detainer against Mr. Diaz and will seek to remove him from the United States following the resolution of any criminal charges he may face; however, Cook County policy currently refuses to honor any ICE detainers. When law enforcement agencies fail to honor immigration detainers and release serious criminal offenders, it undermines ICE's ability to protect public safety and carry out its mission.
“While Cook County’s practice of denying ICE access to its facilities and refusing to honor any ICE detainer is a serious threat to public safety, this agency nevertheless is acting in good faith to return a fugitive to justice," said ERO Atlanta Field Office Director Sean Gallagher. “ICE takes this action despite the fact Cook County would not do the same in return and will almost certainly necessitate the expenditure of limited ICE resources to recapture this individual in the future.”
Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to contact ICE by calling the ICE Tip Line at 1-866-347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.
In Fiscal Year 2016, ICE removed or returned 240,255 individuals. Of this total, 174,923 were apprehended while, or shortly after, attempting to illegally enter the United States. The remaining 65,332 were apprehended in the interior of the United States, and the vast majority were convicted criminals. ICE is focused on removing public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and gang members, as well as individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws, including those who illegally re-entered the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges.
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