U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has requested that Michigan authorities detain Valmir Djempsley, a Haitian citizen charged with the fatal stabbing of a coworker at a food processing plant in Coldwater. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that Djempsley entered the United States illegally in 2024 and was subsequently released into the country.
Djempsley, 20, is accused of killing 21-year-old Brandon Eduardo Velasquez Chavez on June 30 during an argument at the Clemens Food Group plant. According to charging documents, Djempsley allegedly chased Chavez with a knife and stabbed him in the back. Djempsley told authorities that Chavez had headbutted him during their verbal dispute, which reportedly centered on Chavez using one of Djempsley's knives.
Chavez died at the scene. Local reports indicated that Djempsley was in the U.S. on a work visa at the time of the incident, though DHS asserts he entered illegally and was released. He has been charged with murder and pleaded not guilty. Djempsley is currently being held in the Branch County jail without bond.
"This illegal alien barbarically stabbed his coworker to death," said Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis in a statement. "This murderer was released into American communities by the Biden Administration. If it weren’t for the reckless open border policies of the Biden Administration, this criminal never would have been in our country in the first place and his victim would still be alive. We have lodged a detainer asking Michigan to not release this dangerous criminal from jail without notifying ICE."
A Branch County prosecutor told the court that the defendant "at the time of this crime was a guest in our country. He should have been on his best behavior, but instead, he spilled the lifeblood of another human being. This is the most serious violation known to humankind."