ICE lodges detainer for illegal immigrant charged in killing of New York taxi driver

The Department of Homeland Security said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged an arrest detainer for Santos Paulino Vasquez-Ramirez, a Guatemalan national charged with murder and robbery in connection with the Dec. 1 death of a New York taxi driver in Brewster, New York.

Vasquez-Ramirez was arrested Dec. 12 and charged with murder and robbery in the case involving Aurelio Zhunio-Orbez, a 66-year-old Danbury, Conn., resident whose body was found Dec. 7 in the Croton Falls Reservoir. DHS said Vasquez-Ramirez illegally entered the United States in 2013 and was released into the country under the Obama administration; an immigration judge issued him a final removal order in early 2016.

"Santos Vasquez Ramirez should’ve never been in our country in the first place and provided the opportunity to gruesomely take the life of Aurelio Zhunio-Orbez," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "Open border policies have deadly consequences," she added, as ICE announced the detainer and moves to transfer Vasquez-Ramirez to federal custody.

ICE lodged an arrest detainer with local authorities to ensure this criminal illegal alien is never allowed back into American neighborhoods.

In a year-end DHS report, the agency said more than 2.5 million illegal immigrants have left the United States since President Donald Trump returned to office this year, including roughly 1.9 million who self-deported and more than 622,000 who were forced out. DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The case underscores ongoing political and policy debates over immigration enforcement and border security, with officials arguing that detainers and removals are essential tools to address criminal migrants and protect communities. The investigation and legal proceedings related to Vasquez-Ramirez are ongoing.