Ice: man who raped child in ocean county, fled to va, illegal alien

FAIRFAX, VA-Last week, we reported that a man who is accused of raping a child here in Ocean County who then fled to Virginia to evade justice is in America illegally.

Unable to get information in New Jersey due to Phil Murphy’s Immigrant Trust Directive, we reached out to ICE spokesperson Justine Whelan.

“On Sept. 13, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on unlawfully present Honduran national Lester Antonio Matamoros Garcia. Matamoros was arrested pursuant to a fugitive from justice warrant issued from Ocean County, N.J. where Matamoros is suspected of sexual assault,” Whelan said.

Lester Antonio Matamoros Garcia is accused of raping a juvenile female in Ship Bottom on September 2nd.

Had Garcia committed his crime in Virginia, there would be no pre-trial hearing and he could be held on trial or released on bail. He could also be subject to action by United States Immigrations Customs Enforcement authorities. There is no sanctuary state and there is no bail reform in Virginia.

Now it seems like ICE may get to Garcia before he returns to the Sanctuary State of New Jersey.

In New Jersey, Garcia will be playing by a different set of rules. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, if inclined, would have to plead their case to a liberal New Jersey judge who could set Garcia free after a pretrial hearing. If Garcia has violated any immigration laws, the federal government’s hands are tied because Governor Phil Murphy and Attorney General Gurbir Grewal prohibit the Ocean County Jail and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office from working with federal officials.

Detainers serve as a legally-authorized request, upon which a law enforcement agency may rely, to continue to maintain custody of an alien for up to 48 hours so that ICE may assume custody for removal purposes. Pursuant to ICE policy, all ICE detainers are submitted with an accompanying administrative arrest warrant or warrant of removal depending upon the circumstances of the individual case.

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