Illegal immigrant criminals arrested by ICE in NY, VA after local officials buck detainers

Noel Hernandez Leon, a 50-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico, was taken into ICE custody earlier this month after being released from the Fishkill Correctional Facility in Beacon, New York, per an ICE press release. He was convicted in December 1996 of first-degree and second-degree murder, as well as first-degree robbery, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Although an immigration judge ordered his removal from the United States in May 1999, he remained in prison. ICE said his date and location of illegal entry are unknown.

In a separate case, ICE deported Wilmer Osmany Ramos-Giron, an illegal alien from Guatemala who had been previously deported twice and was recently charged in Virginia with abduction by force and the strangulation of a woman. He had previously been convicted of firearms charges. ICE said that despite a detainer being issued, Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office ignored the request due to its sanctuary policy and released Ramos-Giron in March after he served just two months in jail. 

Ramos-Giron’s release followed a plea deal from Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano that dropped a felony strangulation charge in exchange for a guilty plea to brandishing a machete/blade, according to ABC 7 News. ICE later arrested him again in Chantilly, Virginia, and confirmed that he remains in custody.

“Wilmer Ramos-Giron represents a significant threat to our Virginia residents,” said Russell Hott, Field Office Director of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Washington, DC. “He has displayed a blatant disregard for our immigration laws, and more importantly, for the safety and well-being of our community. He is a violent and recidivist threat to public safety that ICE Washington, DC, cannot tolerate. Regardless of the obstacles placed in our way, we remain committed to prioritizing public safety. The men and women of ICE Washington, DC will continue to arrest and remove criminal alien threats from our Washington, DC and Virginia neighborhoods, and ensure their victims receive the justice they so rightly deserve.”

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares also weighed in, condemning Fairfax County officials for releasing Ramos-Giron despite his record.

“This is a case of a victim being ignored, a victim being silenced, and a violent criminal being released and felony charges dropped,” said Miyares. “That is the opposite of how a prosecutor should approach this. You're supposed to be a voice for the victim and a voice for keeping your community safe.”