ICE Requests Texas to Detain Murder Suspect

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced on Friday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a detainer on an El Salvadoran national accused of murder in two separate shootings. The suspect, Jefferson Adonay Velasquez-Torres, 18, is in the U.S. illegally and faces charges in Houston, Texas.

Velasquez-Torres has been charged with murder for an April 27 shooting outside a Houston nightclub where Noah Ramirez, 27, lost his life. The incident also saw two others injured, as reported by FOX 26 Houston.

Additionally, Velasquez-Torres faced charges in June for involvement in another fatal shooting at a Houston house party in August last year. This incident resulted in the death of Angel Garcia, 17. Enrique Aguilar, 19, was also arrested regarding Garcia’s death.

Authorities have charged Velasquez-Torres with unlawfully carrying a weapon and aggravated robbery. He entered the U.S. illegally as a minor in 2014 during Barack Obama’s second term and was released into the country.

In a statement, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis criticized what she termed ‘open-border policies’ from the previous administration and expressed gratitude for Texas’s cooperation in handling the case. Texas has assured cooperation with ICE and stressed that Velasquez-Torres will remain detained, preventing him from posing any safety threats on the streets.

Velasquez-Torres is currently held in the Harry County Jail, having been denied bond for charges related to the recent shooting.