Alberto Ramirez-Diaz was taken into ICE custody after completing a Tennessee prison sentence and was removed to Guatemala six days later.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Federal immigration authorities deported a 39-year-old Guatemalan national this month after he completed a Tennessee prison sentence for second-degree child rape, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Alberto Ramirez-Diaz was arrested by ICE officers on Sept. 1 immediately after his release from the Tennessee Department of Correction. He was removed from the United States on Sept. 7 and returned to Guatemala, according to an ICE enforcement announcement.
ICE Says Ramirez-Diaz Had Previously Been Removed
Federal authorities said Ramirez-Diaz had already been deported once before.
U.S. Border Patrol agents first apprehended him on Aug. 1, 2013. He was processed for expedited removal and returned to Guatemala six days later.
ICE said Ramirez-Diaz later unlawfully reentered the United States and was apprehended again on March 3, 2018. He received a notice to appear in immigration court and was released on an order of recognizance.
He was also placed in ICE’s Alternatives to Detention program, which included GPS monitoring.
According to ICE, Ramirez-Diaz stopped reporting as required and allegedly cut off and discarded his ankle monitor.
Arrest Followed Sexual Assault Allegations Involving Minor
Ramirez-Diaz returned to ICE custody on Nov. 12, 2019, following an arrest by police in Homestead, Florida, in connection with allegations that he sexually assaulted a minor family member.
He was later convicted in Tennessee of second-degree child rape. Tennessee correctional records cited in reporting on the case show he received an eight-year sentence and was listed as deported following completion of his incarceration. Those records can be searched through the Tennessee Department of Correction offender system.
ICE Official Says Agency Will Target Public Safety Threats
“ICE’s mission is to protect the American public, and that includes taking appropriate enforcement action against illegal aliens charged with serious crimes,” ERO New Orleans acting Field Office Director Scott Ladwig said.
“We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure individuals who pose a public safety threat are held accountable under both criminal and immigration law,” Ladwig said.
The case comes amid continued federal immigration enforcement involving people convicted of serious crimes following release from state or local custody. More immigration enforcement coverage and crime news can be found at Shore News Network.
