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BY JENNIFER CABRERA

ALACHUA, Fla. Nehemias Matias Perez, 23, was arrested late last night and charged with driving under the influence, driving without a valid license, and cocaine possession.

An Alachua Police Department officer responded at about 11:20 p.m. to a call about a car swerving between lanes on U.S. 441 near NW 151st Place. The officer reported that Perezs car was parked halfway in the lane of travel on NW 151st Place and that Perez was in the drivers seat with an odor of alcoholic beverages coming from the car.

The officer reported that Perez raised an alcoholic beverage and smiled in the direction of the officer. Perez got out of his car, then reportedly tried to urinate in front of the patrol car; he was then handcuffed and placed in the back of the patrol car.

A search of the car reportedly produced four empty containers of alcohol. A rolled dollar bill in the front passenger seat reportedly contained 0.1 grams of powdered cocaine. Perez also reportedly had powdered cocaine in one nostril and on his shirt.

Post Miranda, Perez reportedly admitted snorting one line of cocaine and consuming three Micheladas and two Modelos (the big ones). He reportedly performed poorly on field sobriety exercises, and his breath samples measured 0.211 and 0.213 (0.08 is legally intoxicated).

Perez has been charged with driving with an unlawful blood alcohol level and cocaine possession. He was cited for driving without a valid license (the officer reported that he has never had a valid U.S. license).

Perez has a federal conviction from 2016, and in 2020, he was arrested in Arizona for illegally crossing the border. Seven days later, he entered a plea of guilty to the charge and was sentenced to eight days in jail or time served; he was released the next day. Perez reportedly told an officer in his intake interview that he has lived in Alachua County for three years and works for a landscape services company; he provided an address in Alachua. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has indicated that they will pick him up.

Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail at $22,000 and required that Perez be fitted with a Transdermal Alcohol Detector and GPS monitor unless he is picked up by ICE.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Originally posted here:
Man who pled guilty to illegal immigration in Arizona arrested in ... - Alachua Chronicle

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Friday that it has arrested 220 illegal immigrants in a nine-day enforcement operation with criminal convictions that include rape and murder.

ICE said its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) had apprehended 220 "removable noncitizens" with convictions including domestic violence, sexual abuse, burglary, gun crimes, drug trafficking and driving under the influence. The arrests took place between March 4 and March 13.

Those arrested included a 64-year-old Mexican national convicted last year of sexual abuse of a victim under 13, a 37-year-old Mexican with a conviction for attempted murder, and a 65-year-old Mexican with convictions for second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Also arrested was a 49-year-old Mexican with convictions for battery and felony rape of spouse by force/fear.

Other illegal immigrants arrested included a 20-year-old Cuban with a conviction last year for second-degree murder, a 33-year-old Nicaraguan with a conviction of armed burglary, a 50-year-old El Salvadoran convicted of sexual abuse and sexual contact with a child under 11, and a 44-year-old Mexican convicted of sex crimes with a child under 11.

ICE DEPORTATIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIMINALS DROPPING SHARPLY UNDER BIDEN

June 2, 2022: ICE agents conduct an enforcement operation in the U.S. interior. ((Immigration and Customs Enforcement))

ICE said the operation shows how the agency is focused "on smart, effective immigration enforcement that protects the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of our communities and integrity of federal immigration law."

"Our teams weigh various factors during targeting and apprehension to ensure we are enforcing U.S. immigration laws humanely, effectively, and with the utmost professionalism," ERO Executive Associate Director Corey Price said in a statement.

ICE DEPORTATIONS REMAINED WELL BELOW TRUMP-ERA LEVELS IN FY 2022, AMID HISTORIC BORDER CRISIS

ICEs ERO arrested 46,396 illegal immigrants with criminal histories last year. The agency said that those included 198,498 associated charges and convictions.

However, ICEs footprint has been reduced under the Biden administration. The administration, after failing to put a moratorium on deportations, narrowed ICE priorities to recent border crossers, national security threats and public safety threats. Those guidelines have now been blocked by a federal judge.

People walk near the U.S.-Mexico border wall at Friendship Park before being replaced in Playas de Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, on Feb. 16, 2023. (GuilleRrmo AriaS/AFP via Getty Images)

A recent budget overview by DHS showed that ICEs deportations of criminal illegal immigrants are being reduced.

In fiscal 2020, the last full year of the Trump administration, the agency aimed to deport 151,000 convicted criminal illegal immigrants, and deported just over 100,000. In fiscal 2021, the target was 97,440 and just 39,149 were removed. By 2022, the first full fiscal year of the Biden administration, the target had dropped to 91,500, and just over 38,000 had been deported.

FORMER TRUMP OFFICIALS SKEPTICAL OF BIDEN ADMIN'S REPORTED PLAN TO RESUME MIGRANT FAMILY DETENTION

The agency has now lowered the targets for fiscal 2023 and 2024 to just 29,393 deportations for each year.

In an explanatory note, ICE said it is taking "every action possible to reduce factors that detract from removal performance, including constant efforts to obtain increased levels of cooperation from foreign countries and increasing the frequency of transport for detainees where possible."

The agency suggested that hiring more deportation officers and attorneys to improve docket management could help reduce "roadblocks and inefficiencies" before suggesting that policy changes by the Biden administration, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, have been responsible for the drop in numbers.

"However, it is important to note that significantly low removal numbers is more the result of environmental factors and policy environment than operational performance," it said.

Meanwhile, ICE's sister DHS agency Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Friday that Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector had arrested four gang members and a sex offender among the migrants they encountered this week. One of the men is a 41-year-old Mexican with a prior conviction for sexual abuse of a minor in Indiana, while agents in McAllen also arrested a Paisas, MS-13 and Wild Mexicans gang member from El Salvador, along with a Mexican with a prior conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and manslaughter.

That comes just days after Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told lawmakers that the southern border is not under operational control.

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ICE arrests 220 criminal illegal immigrants with convictions including rape, murder - Fox News

March 17, 2023 | Austin, Texas | Press Release

Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard are continuing to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal behavior between ports of entry.

Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to over 357,000 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 26,000 criminal arrests, with more than 23,000 felony charges reported. In the fight against fentanyl, DPS has seized over 367 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.

Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps left by the Biden Administration's refusal to secure the border. Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Biden's open border policies.

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS FROM OPERATION LONE STAR:

WATCH: Governor Abbott Touts Role Of Operation Lone Star In Securing Border

As President Biden continues to ignore the crisis at Americas southern border, Governor Abbott is working to protect Texans from transnational criminal activity and secure the border from record-high levels of illegal immigration.

Texans are furious about the lawlessness caused by President Bidens open border policies, said Governor Abbott. Texas has done more than any state ever to secure our border.

WATCH: DPS Lt. Olivarez Slams Failed Policies After Surge Of Illegal Immigrants

DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez joined Fox News this week to discuss the ongoing chaos at the southern border days after a surge of over 1,000 illegal immigrants rushed the border at El Paso and attempted to enter the U.S. illegally. He notes that large groups of migrants are also waiting in Mexico to enter with the Biden Administrations CBP One mobile app, which has not stemmed the flow of illegal immigration.

Thats an example of failed border policies, and were seeing this mad surge of people coming across the border, said Lt. Olivarez. There have been reports that the CBP One app is not working, and thats why people are getting frustrated. The cartels are also spreading messages on social media to try to get people to come across and distract law enforcement. They want to expose more vulnerable gaps along the border so they can bring across criminals, fugitives, or drugs.

WATCH: DPS Regional Director Sanchez Details Plans For Mass Migration Events

DPS West Texas Regional Director Jose Sanchez described to Fox News how last weekend's rush of illegal immigrants at the border in El Paso unfolded and how DPS' coordinated efforts with law enforcement partners identify border vulnerabilities and prevent mass illegal immigration. After the surge of 15,000 Haitians near Del Rio in 2021, DPS has worked with border security partners to ensure a rapid response to escalating mass migration events along the Texas-Mexico border.

Thank goodness that Governor Abbott is in big support of Operation Lone Star West, said Regional Director Sanchez. He has provided us with the resources that we need to help prevent an incursion like this.

WATCH: Texas National Guard Helps Repel Surge Of Illegal Immigrants At El Paso

Texas National Guard soldiers worked alongside Operation Lone Star partners to repel the surge of illegal immigrants who rushed the border at El Paso last weekend. Texas Border Czar Mike Banks explained how mass migration incidents like these will continue as long as the federal government fails to take action to secure the border.

The soldiers and troopers did an outstanding job assisting [with the bridge incident], but I think this is just the beginning, said Border Czar Banks. We have immigrants amassing at our southern border hoping for a chance to apply. When they get tired of waiting, tired of the broken promises, they are going to start pushing forward.

WATCH: DPS Lt. Olivarez Highlights Growing Dangers For Americans Along Border

DPS Lt. Olivarez spoke with Fox News about DPS warning to Americans to avoid traveling to Mexico amid escalating violence, after a group of Americans was recently kidnapped and murdered in Matamoros and as three women remain missing after crossing the border from Texas. With Mexican cartels continuing to profit off President Bidens open border policies, a federal designation as foreign terrorist organizations is more critical than ever. Last September, Governor Abbott designated Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

How many more Americans are we going to lose with this continued disaster, with fentanyl coming across our border and these cartels that are more powerful than ever before, said Lt. Olivarez. Something needs to be done. Theres enough rhetoric and talk, but its time for the federal government to take responsibility and go after these organizations with a designation of terrorist organizations.

WATCH: DPS Lt. Olivarez Explains Recent DPS Warning Against Travel To Mexico

DPS Lt. Olivarez spoke with CNN to highlight the growing threat of violence along the Texas-Mexico border, with rival cartels fighting each other over territory and drug smuggling routes that create a highly volatile situation in the region. Despite President Biden turning a blind eye to the ongoing chaos at the southern border, DPS says the first step in curbing the Mexican cartels violence would be a federal designation as terrorist organizations.

We are very concerned at the state level with the increased violence and the Mexican drug cartels that represent a significant threat to anyone who crosses into Mexico, said Lt. Olivarez. We know that many Americans have traveled to resorts like in Cancun without incident, but we cant ignore the risks. The cartels now have a heavy influence in Mexico, even in those resorts.

WATCH: Teenage Smuggler Leads DPS On High-Speed Pursuit With Infant In Car

A 16-year-old smuggler led DPS troopers on a high-speed vehicle pursuit in Webb County with an infant inside the car. During the pursuit, the driver from Laredo ran several red lights and went through a construction zone. He eventually crashed into a canal, where he was arrested.

He is charged with smuggling of persons. Six illegal immigrants, including the infant, were referred to Border Patrol.

DPS Brush Team Seizes 300 Lbs. Of Marijuana From SUV After Driver Bails Out

A DPS brush team responded to a camera activation that led them to an SUV exiting a private ranch in Webb County. Troopers stopped the vehicle, and the driver bailed out and ran into the brush. Troopers seized 300 pounds of marijuana from the vehicle.

Originally posted here:
Operation Lone Star Repels Rush Of Illegal Immigrants At El Paso Border - Office of the Texas Governor

Federal law prohibits the act of encouraging or inducing unlawful immigration for private financial gain. Later this month, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case, United States v. Hansen, which asks whether that law should be struck down as an unconstitutional infringement on freedom of speech.

The law deserves to die on First Amendment grounds. As the Rutherford Institute and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression observe in an amicus brief they filed in the case, "expressing disagreement with laws through advocacy of their violationis part of a deeply rooted American tradition." That tradition includes both the abolitionists who urged defiance of proslavery statutes in the 19th century and the civil rights activists who championed nonviolent resistance to Jim Crow in the 20th century. "Criminalizing mere encouragement of unlawful conduct," the brief points out, "would chill speech essential to movements advocating political and social change."

Here is a modern hypothetical that further illustrates the point. Assume that a self-described advocate of an open-borders immigration policy writes a book urging civil disobedience in the face of what the author argues is an unjust immigration regime. The book directly calls for undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States illegally and to fight for their rights.

The sale of such a book would seem to violate the plain text of the federal prohibition on encouraging illegal immigration for financial gain. Yet the First Amendment just as clearly protects the author's right to write and sell such a book. In that sort of contest between a federal law and a constitutional liberty, the Constitution always deserves to win.

If this case sounds familiar, it's because the Supreme Court heard a nearly identical dispute just three years ago. But that case, United States v. Sineneng-Smith, was ultimately resolved on narrow procedural grounds. The Court never ruled on the underlying First Amendment question. However, as I noted at the time, the Sineneng-Smith oral arguments suggested that "several justices seemed potentially open" to striking down the federal law at issue:

"What about a charity?" Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked Deputy Solicitor General Eric Feigin. "A charity provides food to someone who's in the country unlawfullyit's designed to provide food for people who can't get it elsewhere and they know that the people taking advantage of that are here unlawfully?"

Feigin conceded that such a charity might find itself on the receiving end of unwanted federal attention. "To the extent that a charity were doing something that violated the plain terms of the statute," Feigin answered, "that amounted to givingeffectively giving money to people toor something that is the equivalent of money to people with the purpose that those people reside in the United States unlawfully, that might violate the statute."

Justice Sonia Sotomayor made a point similar to Kavanaugh's. "I read 'encourage or induce an alien to come, enter, or reside in the U.S., knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to, entry, or residence is or will be in violation of law,'" Sotomayor told the deputy solicitor general, and it "seems to me" that all sorts of constitutionally protected speech and activity would be in trouble. "The hospital that's treatingan illegally present child with a disease, the church who provides worship to illegal aliens," both of these real-world examples, Sotomayor pointed out, "would be a violation of the statute."

The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that "overbroad laws that chill speech within the First Amendment's vast and privileged sphere" deserve no sanction. The federal ban on encouraging or inducing unlawful immigration should be overruled according to that exacting standard.

Read this article:
SCOTUS Tackles First Amendment Right to Encourage Illegal Immigration - Reason

AUSTIN, Texas In the border town of El Paso, migrants sit on the sidewalk with luggage and blankets.

We came here by force because the gangs threatened to kill us, and they took our house away, said Johnny Javier Cabrera, a migrant from Honduras. My wife also lost her car. They stole everything from us.

Cabrera recently crossed into El Paso illegally. He wishes he could work and get out of his current situation.

Were not doing anything wrong, Cabrera said. We are not doing harm. We are not harming anyone.

But House Bill 20, filed by Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, would task local law enforcement with arresting, detaining and deterring people from crossing the border illegally. The legislation would also establish a state-run Border Protection Unit, with a chief appointed by the governor.

We want people to come here legally, said Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, who co-authored the bill. Were not anti-immigration. We want people to follow the process, become Americans, and do the process correctly.

If the bill passes, migrants could also be charged with a third-degree felony for walking onto private property. Some worry this will squash a migrants chance at achieving the American dream before it even starts.

I dont fault anybody for pursuing the American dream, but they need to follow the correct process to do that, Rep. Harris said. And if there need to be reforms put in place at the federal level to make it easier for people to come here lawfully, then the federal government needs to have that debate. So with the current system that we have in place now, illegal immigration is such a massive crisis in our state that this action of creating a new felony is The federal government has tied our hands, and this is one of our only responses.

New numbers from Customs and Border Patrol show that in February, Border Patrol agents encountered nearly 100,000 individuals attempting to cross into Texas illegally.

One provision of the bill says law-abiding citizens without felony convictions could be allowed to participate in this effort, but would have no arresting authority. Because of this, the Mexican American Legislative Caucus labels the bill an Extreme Vigilante Death Squads Policy.

The caucus chair, Rep. Victoria Neave Criado, D-Dallas, wrote in a statement: This dangerous, radical, and unconstitutional proposal which empowers border vigilantes to hunt migrants and racially profile Latinos is going to result in the death of innocent people.

Its disappointing that theyve used this kind of vitriolic language, when nothing like that exists in the legislation, Rep. Harris said in response.

Despite opposing views, the bill is a priority for Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan. He said addressing the states border and humanitarian crisis is a must-pass issue for the chamber this year.

Rep. Harris guesses this bill would cost the state billions of dollars. He said tax dollars must be spent on border security, even though he wishes that money could be allocated to public schools and property tax relief instead. Rep. Harris said the federal government should pay Texas back for what its put into securing the border.

Wed rather not be spending the money on this taxpayers money but were in a position where we have to because the federal government wont, he said.

Gov. Abbott has already spent several billion dollars on his border security effort, Operation Lone Star. If the bill passes, Rep. Harris said the hope is that DPS officers and others who have been sent to the border to assist with the operation would be able to go home.

The legislation would also allocate money to building the border wall. And, theres a provision to deport migrants who cross illegally into Texas if theres ever another COVID-19 health emergency.

Its kind of a mirror of the federal governments Title 42, Rep. Harris said.

But all of the time, effort and money that Texas has allocated toward border security hasnt stopped people from trying to cross into the state.

That includes Cabrera from Honduras, who said he doesnt want people to be punished for accidentally crossing onto private land, while coming to Texas for a better life.

We came to fight and get ahead. It would be very unfair, he said.

Follow Charlotte Scott on Facebook and Twitter.

Read more:
Bill seeks to crack down on illegal immigration into Texas - Spectrum News