The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a public announcement on Thursday, August 6th, requesting Miami-Dade County in Florida not to release an illegal immigrant suspected of a hit-and-run incident and to transfer the individual to ICE.
According to local media reports, the accident occurred on Sunday morning, August 2nd, when 74-year-old Geraldine Byrd was getting out of her car to open the gate to her driveway. A truck hit her vehicle from behind, causing it to spin and hit her. The truck then continued forward, hitting her again and pinning her underneath the vehicle. The driver immediately fled the scene, but a family member of Byrd’s tracked him down hiding in a shed. Byrd was rushed to a nearby hospital and is currently in critical condition, relying on a ventilator to sustain her life.
The authorities subsequently arrested 31-year-old Tomas Raymundo Brito, who is reported to be from Guatemala. Brito admitted to entering the U.S. illegally and stated that he had consumed about five bottles of beer before the incident. He is currently facing charges of hit-and-run causing serious injury and driving without a license. Under Florida law, undocumented immigrants are not eligible to obtain a driver’s license.
DHS stated that ICE issued a detention order for Brito at the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on the day of his arrest.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated, “This illegal immigrant from Guatemala is charged with driving under the influence and causing a hit-and-run incident that resulted in a 74-year-old woman being seriously injured and hospitalized. He should not have been in our community or on our streets to begin with. ICE has requested Miami-Dade officials to cooperate with us, not release this criminal, and transfer him to ICE for deportation.”
A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed that they had received the ICE request, and Brito is currently still detained. The spokesperson mentioned that the county will legally respect the detention request, holding the individual for 48 hours; if ICE does not take custody of Brito within the specified time frame, he will be released in accordance with the law once his state criminal incarceration ends.
Miami-Dade County is not a sanctuary city, as Florida law prohibits sanctuary policies. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office also participates in ICE’s 287(g) program in accordance with state law.
In a similar incident on May 17th, Carlos Suarez-Contreras, a 26-year-old undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, struck and ran over 82-year-old Deborah Murphy in the parking lot of a Publix supermarket in Panama City Beach, Florida, leading to her fatal injuries.
(References to Fox News reporting)