Rhode Island law enforcement officials released an illegal immigrant charged with domestic kidnapping and other offenses despite a detainer request lodged against him, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Deportation officers apprehended Carlos Sebastian Natera-Santa, a 22-year-old Dominican national accused by local authorities of domestic kidnapping, fraudulent use of credit cards and violating a protection order on May 25, ICE announced Tuesday. The agency lodged the detainer following his arrest by the Rhode Island State Police on March 12 for violating a “no contact order,” but the sheriff’s office “refused to honor the detainer.” (RELATED: Blue State Released Illegal Immigrant Convicted Of Killing Two Children Despite ICE Detainer)
Deportation officers were able to apprehend Natera-Santa on the same day he was released from local custody, the agency said. He will remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of his deportation proceedings.
“Carlos Sebastian Natera-Santa was arrested by local police for domestic kidnapping, then five months later, he was arrested again for violating a protection order,” ERO Boston Field Officer Director Todd Lyons said in a statement. “He not only allegedly showed a complete disregard for the law, he clearly posed a threat to the residents of our Rhode Island communities.”
“ERO Boston will continue our mission of prioritizing public safety by arresting and removing the most egregious noncitizen offenders from New England,” Lyons continued.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) special agent preparing to arrest alleged immigration violators at Fresh Mark, Salem, June 19, 2018. Image courtesy ICE ICE / U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
Border Patrol officials arrested Natera-Santa on March 9, 2023 after he illegally entered the United States near Lukeville, Arizona, according to ICE. He was transferred into ICE custody on March 15, 2023, but was released later that day.
The Providence Police Department then arrested Natera-Santa on October 13, 2023 on charges of domestic kidnapping and fraudulent use of credit cards, but was released the next day, ICE said.
Rhode Island officials have refused to honor other detainer requests from the agency in the past, according to ICE.
State law enforcement previously released a Colombian illegal immigrant charged with sexually assaulting someone with a “severe” mental handicap, despite a detainer request lodged against him. Law enforcement officials in the state also previously released a Guatemalan illegal immigrant accused of child molestation in spite of a detainer request.
The Center for Immigration Studies, an organization that advocates for stricter immigration policy, labels Rhode Island as a sanctuary jurisdiction.
Rhode Island State Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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