This week, an illegal alien who was wanted in Oregon for rape and sexual assault was apprehended in Florida. Federal immigration officials first refused to take the suspect into custody, but eventually gave in to pressure from Governor Ron DeSantis.
A few weeks ago, Juan Jose-Sebastian, a 26-year-old national of Guatemala, was taken into custody by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Florida for driving without a license.
Police discovered that he was wanted in Oregon on three charges of rape and sexual assault just before he was scheduled to be released from jail.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) advised Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder late last week that ICE would not seize the illegal alien since they were released from detention owing to the massive influx of illegal aliens into the country as a result of President Joe Biden’s policies.
Oregon, ruled by Democrats, declined to extradite him.
“We had to really pull teeth to be able to get the federal government to detain an illegal alien who was apprehended in South Florida. It was a relatively minor offense. They had held them for as long as they could, but he was wanted on charges involving rape and sexual abuse in Oregon. And Oregon did not want to accept this individual. They weren’t interested in seeking justice apparently on behalf of the victims of his crimes. And so the plan was just to release him on the streets of Florida. Well, that is unacceptable. And so, we fought back.” DeSantis remarked during a Tuesday press conference.
The DeSantis administration, which has taken a harsh stance against illegal immigration, moved swiftly to put pressure on the Biden administration to apprehend the suspect and take him off Florida’s streets.
He said that senior members of his administration exerted pressure on Acting ICE Director Patrick Lechleitner to place the person under detention, so enabling the illegal alien to be apprehended again by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
DeSantis called it pathetic that Oregon wouldn’t want to return the suspect to face punishment and that the United States was in a position where ICE wouldn’t carry out its duties.
[READ MORE: DeSantis Sends Troopers to Miami Beach to Stop Spring Break Chaos]
