(BrightPress.org) – Baltimore County leaders are changing how they work with federal immigration authorities. This comes after their detention center released a Guatemalan national, Raul Calderon-Interiano, convicted of heinous crimes against children and living illegally in the U.S. He was arrested for abusing two minors and was supposed to be held for ICE, but the local authorities let him go.
Now, county officials and ICE have agreed to better coordinate. They plan to notify ICE at least 48 hours before releasing any criminal alien from custody. This is a big shift from previous policies where the county often ignored ICE detainers. A 2017 executive order had made it difficult for local law enforcement to cooperate with ICE.
ICE criticized Baltimore County for releasing Calderon-Interiano. They had lodged an immigration detainer against him, but the county didn’t honor it. Despite being sentenced to six years in prison, his sentence was suspended, and he was released back into the community. ICE had to find and arrest him again later.
The Baltimore County Police Department originally arrested Calderon-Interiano in January 2023. He faced charges of abuse of minors, attempted sex offenses, and assault. He was convicted in April 2024 and ordered to register as a Tier 1 sex offender. Yet, the county detention center released him without notifying ICE, even though a detainer was in place.
ICE deportation officers eventually apprehended Calderon-Interiano near his Baltimore residence. He will stay in ICE custody until his removal proceedings. The county aims to balance public safety with individual rights, ensuring criminal aliens are not released without ICE being informed.
Calderon-Interiano’s case highlights the importance of ensuring criminal non-citizens are transferred to federal custody rather than being released into the community.
Since being caught at the U.S. border in 2014, Calderon-Interiano has had a complicated legal history. He was ordered to be removed from the U.S. in 2015 but stayed in Maryland. His recent crimes have marred the public’s trust in local politicians and city leaders to handle illegal aliens and dangerous criminals properly.
Copyright 2024, BrightPress.org
