JACKSON, N.J. – They weren’t supposed to be in the United States, and both women ignored mandatory and voluntary orders to leave the country.
After seeking refuge in New Jersey’s sanctuary state protections for illegal aliens, a young boy is dead, and his mother and sister are in the hospital.
ICE says the entire thing should have been prevented.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged detainers with the Ocean County Jail against two women charged after a 9-month-old baby was struck and killed in an Aug. 28 crash in Jackson Township.
ICE identified the women as Maria Jose Cobon-Guzman, 20, a Guatemalan national, and Ariadna Elisa Lazaro-Flores, 22, a Mexican national. Federal immigration authorities describe both women as being in the United States illegally.
The new information provides details about their immigration histories that were not available when criminal charges were first announced. ICE says Cobon-Guzman has an outstanding removal order, while Lazaro-Flores was processed for voluntary return five times in October 2023.
ICE Says Both Women Face Removal
According to ICE, an immigration judge with the U.S. Department of Justice issued Cobon-Guzman’s removal order on July 31. The agency says that once she enters ICE custody, she will be processed for removal under that order.
ICE says Lazaro-Flores will be placed into removal proceedings if she is transferred to federal immigration custody.
The detainers do not replace the criminal cases pending in Ocean County. They notify the jail that ICE is seeking custody of the women for immigration enforcement purposes.
- ICE says Cobon-Guzman is a Guatemalan national with an outstanding removal order issued July 31.
- ICE says Lazaro-Flores is a Mexican national who was processed for voluntary return five times in October 2023.
- Both women remain defendants in criminal cases stemming from the Aug. 28 crash that killed a 9-month-old child.
What is an ICE detainer?
An immigration detainer is a request from ICE involving a person held by another law enforcement agency. In this case, ICE has notified the Ocean County Jail that it is seeking custody of both women for federal immigration proceedings.
Baby Killed After Mother and Children Were Struck
The criminal charges stem from a crash shortly before noon Aug. 28 at North New Prospect Road and West County Line Road in Jackson.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Cobon-Guzman was driving a Ford Fusion when the vehicle struck a mother and her two children, ages 5 years and 9 months.
The infant was taken to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, where the child was pronounced dead. The mother and 5-year-old were hospitalized and were reported in stable condition when prosecutors announced the charges.
Prosecutors charged Cobon-Guzman with manslaughter, two counts of assault by auto and operating a motor vehicle without ever having been issued a valid driver’s license while involved in a crash resulting in death.
Authorities allege Cobon-Guzman had never been issued a valid driver’s license in New Jersey or any other state.
Why was Lazaro-Flores charged if she wasn’t driving?
Prosecutors allege Lazaro-Flores knowingly allowed Cobon-Guzman to operate the vehicle despite knowing she had never been issued a valid driver’s license. Lazaro-Flores was charged with knowingly engaging in conduct that created a substantial risk of death to another person.
Immigration Cases Now Run Alongside Criminal Charges
The immigration cases add another layer to a crash that was already drawing attention in Jackson and across Ocean County.
ICE’s detainers mean federal authorities are seeking to take custody of Cobon-Guzman and Lazaro-Flores for immigration enforcement. What happens with that request will depend in part on how their state criminal cases and custody status proceed.
The women were arrested by the Jackson Township Police Department on Aug. 28. The charges against them remain pending, and neither woman has been convicted in connection with the crash.
What happens if ICE takes custody of the women?
ICE says Cobon-Guzman will be processed for removal based on the July 31 removal order. Lazaro-Flores will be placed into removal proceedings, according to the agency.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Jackson Township Police Department continue to handle the criminal investigation into the baby’s death.
Sources: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement statement concerning Maria Jose Cobon-Guzman and Ariadna Elisa Lazaro-Flores; Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, fatal Jackson Township motor vehicle crash charges; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
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