Illegal Alien Crime
19-year-old Sergio Soto was waiting to board a plane in Atlanta and was minutes away from leaving the country. Minutes before take-off, a officers apprehended the illegal alien.
This is one of the first cases I’ve seen of immigration officials preventing an illegal alien from leaving the United States. But they had good reason: Soto was wanted for rape in Marydel, Maryland. Police had searched his home in Delaware but were unable to find him.
A Homeland Security alert notified police that he was trying to flee the country. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not release where Soto was fleeing to, though the best guess is his native Guatemala.
ICE has issued a detainer. Soto is being held in Atlanta awaiting extradition to Maryland to stand trial for rape. Once his rape case/sentence is concluded, he will be deported.
The local CBS affiliate – WBOC16 – refferred to Sergio Soto as an “apparent illegal immigrant,” even though the site admits that an ICE detainer was requested and those are only used in cases involving illegal aliens.
The Maryland legislature is actively considering turning Maryland into a “sanctuary state.” If this measure passes and becomes law, Maryland Police would be prohibited from turning people like Soto over to ICE for deportation, even if he is convicted of rape.
