An illegal alien, released from border custody, is accused of murdering an 18-year-old girl in Maryland's sanctuary county, raising alarm over the effectiveness of the Biden administration’s immigration policies.
An illegal alien, who was released into the United States from the southern border earlier this year, has been accused of murdering an 18-year-old girl from El Salvador in Montgomery County, Maryland, a self-declared sanctuary county.
Gerber Luis Sanchez Centeno, a 23-year-old illegal alien also from El Salvador, was arrested last week and charged with first-degree murder for the death of 18-year-old Dania Cruz-Mejia. According to police and the victim’s family, Centeno and Cruz-Mejia had been in a relationship for the past two years before both made their way to the United States.
On September 18, police allege that Centeno killed Cruz-Mejia following an argument. Two days later, he was apprehended and remains in the Montgomery County Jail without bail.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed to Fox News that Centeno had crossed the U.S. southern border on June 2 and was apprehended by Border Patrol agents near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. That same day, he was placed into the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program with a GPS ankle monitor and released into the U.S. by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Despite thousands of open detention beds being available at the time, Centeno was not detained.
By early August, Centeno had absconded from the ATD program, prompting DHS to terminate his enrollment, which meant he was no longer being monitored. This case has highlighted growing concerns over the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of illegal border crossers under the ATD program, where many migrants are released into American communities with minimal supervision.
In response to cases like Centeno’s, two pieces of legislation aimed at reforming the ATD program are pending in Congress. In May, Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) introduced the “Reshape ATD Act” which would require DHS to utilize all available ICE detention space before placing migrants on the ATD program. The legislation also mandates continuous GPS monitoring for those on ATD until their court proceedings are completed.
Similarly, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) has proposed the “Accountability Through Deportation Act,” which would empower federal immigration judges to order the deportation of migrants who violate the terms of their release from DHS custody.
The tragedy in Montgomery County has added fuel to the contentious debate over immigration enforcement and sanctuary policies, with critics arguing that more stringent measures are needed to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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