Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has filed a detainer against Angel Israel Deras-Rivas, a Salvadoran national arrested in North Carolina and charged with murder and felony child abuse in connection with the drowning death of a 14-month-old toddler.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin criticized the Biden administration's immigration policies, stating they contributed to the circumstances surrounding the case. "This criminal illegal alien has been charged with murder and felony child abuse after letting a 14-month-old drown in a bathtub," Mullin said in a statement.
Deras-Rivas, 19, was allegedly caring for his stepchild when he left the toddler unattended in a bathtub filled with water, leading to the child's death, according to an arrest warrant cited by the Raleigh News & Observer. The incident occurred months after Deras-Rivas married the child's mother in April.
Immigration officials stated that Deras-Rivas unlawfully entered the United States through Texas in October 2023 and was released into the country by the Biden administration. ICE lodged the detainer with the Wake County Sheriff's Department on the same day of Deras-Rivas's arrest.
An ICE detainer typically requests that local law enforcement notify ICE before an individual's release and hold the person for up to 48 additional hours beyond their scheduled release date. This allows ICE agents time to take the individual into federal custody for potential removal proceedings.