NEWARK, NJ — The Murphy Administration’s Sanctuary State directive took effect last week.
This week? U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) removed two foreign nationals from North Jersey wanted for violent crimes in their countries of origin.
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ICE reports that one man, a Salvadoran national, stands accused of aggravated murder and “affiliation with criminal organizations” in El Salvador.
The other individual — Guatemalan national — is wanted in Guatemala for violence perpetrated against a woman. Here are the details:
Yermin Alexander Diaz-Chavarria, a Salvadoran national, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol August 23, 2015, at Hidalgo Texas, for entering the country illegally. In 2017, El Salvador issued a warrant of arrest for Diaz for aggravated murder and affiliation with criminal organizations. On Feb. 13, 2018, Diaz did not appear for his immigration court hearing, and an immigration judge in Newark ordered him removed to El Salvador. On Feb. 11, 2019, ERO officers arrested Diaz in Newark. ERO officers removed him from the U.S. on March 8, 2019, and turned him over to Salvadoran authorities.
On Nov. 5, 2014, Jose Bernardo Siquin-Tubac, a Guatemalan national, was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol near Hidalgo, Texas, for entering the country illegally. On Nov. 11, 2014, he was removed to Guatemala. Siquin later illegally re-entered the U.S. on an unknown date, at an unknown location. On Feb. 13, 2019, ERO officers arrested him at his residence in West New York, New Jersey, and detained him. Siquin’s prior order of removal was reinstated by ERO. He was wanted in his home country for violence against a woman. On March 14, 2019, ERO removed Siquin from the U.S. and turned him over to Guatemalan authorities.
“The violent criminal histories of these two individuals show that both posed a danger to the community,” said John Tsoukaris, field office director of ERO Newark. “The brave and targeted efforts of our officers show our ongoing commitment to public safety.”
Governor Phil Murphy’s attorney general, Gurbir Grewal, issued a directive in late 2018 barring local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration authorities.
The “Sanctuary State” directive is allowing violent criminals to take refuge in New Jersey but for ICE’s efforts; there is also evidence that the new policy is aiding MS-13 and violent gangs whose membership is largely comprise of foreign nationals from Central America.
Since Governor Murphy took office in early 2018 and declared his intent to block federal immigration authorities from operating in New Jersey with state and local cooperation, ICE has stepped up its efforts to enforce the rule of law in the Garden State, arresting hundreds of illegal aliens many of whom are wanted for violent crimes.
ICE removed or returned 256,085 illegal aliens nation-wide in 2018.
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