The Salvadoran individual arrested in the fatal shooting of a 2-year-old in Maryland had been released from jail two times despite ICE requesting his deportation each time.
Nilson Trejo-Granados, 25, was taken into custody on Monday and accused of first- and second-degree murder in the shooting death of Jeremy Poou Caceres on Feb. 8 while the child was out walking with his 17-year-old mother.
According to authorities, the child was caught in the middle of a shootout between two rival groups involved in a drug dispute.
As per the charges examined by The Washington Post, Trejo-Granados is not charged with firing the weapon that caused Caceres’ death, but he is said to have been in a car with a group of individuals linked to the shootout.
Trejo-Granados had been arrested twice before the incident and was released in both cases despite ICE’s request to hold him for deportation due to his illegal status in the country.
Trejo-Granados was taken into custody for theft on March 21 by the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD).
Illegal Immigrant Released Despite Arrests and ICE Holds
An immigration detainer was issued for him by ICE the next day at the Montgomery County Detention Center (MCDC), according to an ICE spokesperson who spoke with Fox News Digital.
Once more, he was apprehended by the MCPD on September 26 and faced charges of theft under $100 and obstructing and hindering.
Once more, the next day, ICE placed an immigration detainer on him with the (MCDC) but it “declined to comply with the detainer and released Trejo-Granados from custody Oct. 12, 2023,” an ICE spokesperson stated.
During a news briefing, it was mentioned that Trejo-Granados was released from custody in March because the crime, a theft of property valued between $100 and $1,500, was not considered severe.
The police are currently looking into the reasons behind his release in September instead of being held on an ICE detainer, which is a request for local law enforcement to detain the suspect until they can be transferred to ICE for deportation proceedings.
According to the Montgomery County website, it is not considered a “sanctuary” jurisdiction, and local law enforcement collaborates with ICE on immigration violations.
On the website, it is mentioned that the police are not supposed to ask about immigration status, and the county does not carry out any immigration enforcement or investigations.