ICE Detainer Issued for Salvadoran National After Toddler’s Drowning

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a detainer on a Salvadoran national accused of leaving a 14-month-old child to drown in a bathtub. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the detainer requests North Carolina officials to keep Angel Israel Deras-Rivas detained.

Deras-Rivas, aged 19, was arrested in Garner, North Carolina. As per the arrest warrant, he allegedly left the toddler unattended in a bathtub filled with water, leading to the child’s death. This incident occurred months after Deras-Rivas married the child’s mother in April.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin criticized current immigration policies, suggesting they contributed to the incident. He stated, “This criminal illegal alien has been charged with murder and felony child abuse.” Mullin emphasized the need for policy changes to prevent such tragedies.

DHS identified Deras-Rivas as a criminal illegal alien who entered the U.S. through Texas in October 2023. He was released into the country under the Biden administration’s policies. Immigration officials argue that these policies allowed the suspect to remain in the country, which they claim resulted in the toddler’s death.

ICE urged North Carolina to not release Deras-Rivas and allow federal custody transfer. The detainer was filed with the Wake County Sheriff’s Department after Deras-Rivas’s arrest. This request generally seeks to hold an individual up to 48 hours beyond their scheduled release.

Fox News contacted the Garner Police Department for more details. Bonny Chu, a reporter for Fox News Digital, provided coverage of this incident.