Courtesy: Collier County Sheriff's Office.
IMMOKALEE, Fla. - An illegal immigrant from Honduras who has allegedly entered the U.S. seven times illegally was arrested after a fight broke out at a Florida bar on Saturday, according to the Collier County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to El Cubano restaurant around 4:30 p.m. and they found one of the suspects, 40-year-old Jose Machado-Perez of Immokalee.
The backstory:
During the investigation, deputies say they discovered that Machado-Perez was wanted in connection with a Louisiana juvenile cruelty charge. The warrant was issued after he didn't show up to court in Baton Rouge.
Collier County deputies also found out that he had been deported seven times. Records show that Machado-Perez has illegally entered the U.S. more than the sheriff's office has ever seen for a single person in their custody.
Investigators say he did this by entering the country at unknown times and locations without inspection or admission by an immigration officer at a designated port of entry.
Previous deportations
- 2013: Arizona and Texas
- 2016: Texas
- 2019, 2021 and 2022: Louisiana
What they're saying:
Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said this arrest highlights the sheriff's office's strong partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"This arrest underscores the importance of our longstanding 287(g) partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement when it comes to keeping our community safe," Sheriff Rambosk said. "We have participated in this partnership for over 17 years, and it is a key component of our community safety plan and one of the reasons we are able to maintain crime levels at historic lows."
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer was placed on Machado-Perez. These detainers are used for people arrested on criminal charges who ICE believes are in the country illegally.
Machado-Perez was booked into the Naples Jail Center.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Collier County Sheriff's Office.