Criminal Alien of the Week Report 11-05-20 by David Cross
It has been an interesting first week in the month of November when it comes to criminal aliens (illegal aliens) here in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
This week we examine for Pacific Northwest radio listeners a criminal illegal alien previously removed from the United States who was convicted of a drug crime in Jackson County, Oregon.
Currently, Jose Lopez Velazquez (SID: 23442190; DOB: 03/21/1984), age 36, is incarcerated at the Jackson County Jail in Medford, Oregon.
A viewing of the county jail’s inmates in custody website reveals Jose Lopez Velazquez is an illegal alien and he has an ICE Warrant placed on him.
Some history, Jose Lopez Velazquez (Case Number: 19CR49583) was charged on July 29, 2019 with Delivery of Methamphetamine and Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine.
On March 10, 2020 Jose Lopez Velazquez was convicted in a Jackson County Circuit Court of Delivery of Methamphetamine.
On the same preceding date Jose Lopez Velazquez was sentenced to 90-days in Jail and five years of probation.
Wanting to know the immigration status of Jose Lopez Velazquez, the “Criminal Alien of the Week Report” contacted on Tuesday, October 27, 2020 via e-mail U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Public Affairs Officer (PAO) Tanya Roman.
On Wednesday, November 4, 2020 ICE Public Affairs Officer Roman sent via e-mail the following statement on Jose Lopez Velazquez:
“Convicted felon and repeat immigration violator Jose Armando Lopez-Velasquez is a citizen of Mexico in the U.S. illegally. Lopez-Velasquez has a criminal history spanning nearly a decade and is subject to a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge. He was previously removed from the U.S. in November 2014 and is currently awaiting sentencing on federal criminal charges of illegal reentry after deportation.”
A review of his immigration and criminal history reveals the following:
On Oct. 17, 2012, Lopez-Velasquez was convicted of evading an officer and willful disregard. He was sentenced to two years in prison for these crimes.
On May 13, 2013, Lopez-Velasquez was convicted of second-degree robbery and sentenced to two years in prison. On Aug. 7, 2013, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) encountered Lopez-Velasquez during his incarceration at Wasco State Prison in Wasco, California, and lodged an immigration detainer with the jail.
On Oct. 28, 2014, an immigration judge ordered Lopez-Velasquez removed from the U.S. ICE removed him to Mexico via the Calexico Port of Entry Nov. 6, 2014.
Lopez-Velasquez illegally reentered the U.S. on an unknown date and at an unknown location.
On July 25, 2019, Lopez-Velasquez was arrested on local drug charges and booked into the Jackson County Jail. On July 29, 2019, ICE encountered Lopez-Velasquez at the jail and lodged an immigration detainer.
On Feb. 2, 2020, Lopez-Velasquez was convicted of delivery of methamphetamine in Jackson County, Oregon; he is currently detained at the Jackson County Jail.
On May 30, 2020, Lopez-Velasquez pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after deportation and is awaiting sentencing.” – Tanya Román, ICE Public Affairs Officer.
“ON BACKGROUND: (previously cleared)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) continues to focus its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. ICE conducts targeted immigration enforcement in compliance with federal law and agency policy. However, ICE does not exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States.
Aliens processed for removal may receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice, and is separate from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ICE officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges. For more information on EOIR, visit: https://www.justice.gov/eoir/
The immigration laws of the United States allow an alien to pursue relief from removal; however, once they have exhausted all due process and appeals, they remain subject to a final order of removal from an immigration judge and that order must be carried out.
ICE is charged with enforcing federal immigration laws enacted by Congress. Deportation officers with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations are sworn law enforcement officers who carry out the arrest, detention, and removal of illegal aliens found to be in the United States unlawfully. ICE allocates the agency’s finite immigration enforcement resources by prioritizing public and national security threats, immigration fugitives and illegal reentrants. However, all of those in violation of immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States.” – ICE Public Affairs.
The preceding statement from ICE Public Affairs Officer Roman is a full circle example on how the U.S. federal government enforces federal immigration law (8 USC 1326 illegal entry after deportation, a felony) and deals with a criminal illegal alien who unlawfully reenters the country.