State Search For Fugitive Continues As Trump, ICE Rip NJ Policies

NEW JERSEY – A statewide search continues for a potentially dangerous fugitive who the Trump administration says never should have been released. And federal officials – including President Trump himself – are blaming the state's policies for handling immigration enforcement on several cases that, they say, have led to trouble.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, said it is still searching for Luciano Trejo-Dominguez after he was arrested in Cumberland County for aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault of a chid, criminal restraint, criminal sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child last August.

"Do not attempt to apprehend any subject. If you have information about the whereabouts of these fugitives, immediately contact your local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office or call the national hotline at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE as soon as possible!" ICE said on its website, suggesting the fugitive is potentially "dangerous."

On Aug. 13 and Aug. 14, 2019, ICE says it lodged detainers on Trejo-Dominguez with the Cumberland County Jail, but he was released on Aug. 23 and remains at-large. Cumberland County officials say ICE did not complete its detainer request until after he was released – a claim that ICE says is untrue.

“ICE depends upon local and state law enforcement cooperation in regards to ICE detainers," said Emilio Dabul, an ICE spokesman. "The New Jersey (attorney general's) directive prevented that in the case of Luciano Dominguez-Trejo. Dominguez-Trejo remains at large.”

Dabul was referring to Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal's 2018 directive to all state, county and local law enforcement agencies in New Jersey limiting the types of assistance their officers may provide to ICE.

The rules are designed to strengthen trust between New Jersey law enforcement officers and the state's immigrant communities, according to a release from the Office of Attorney General. Read more: NJ Imposes New Rules On Turning Over Unauthorized Immigrants

President Trump took aim at the directive while speaking at his rally Tuesday night in Wildwood, criticizing what he called "sanctuary" policies that are in place in New Jersey. He also ripped Middlesex County for releasing a man from the county jail in 2018 who, authorities said, went on to be accused of killing three people in Missouri.

"On no issue have Washington Democrats more thoroughly betrayed the American people than on the issue of immigration," Trump said Tuesday night. "Right here another criminal alien was arrested for a violent assault in New Jersey. The sanctuary jurisdiction of Middlesex County defied the ICE request to detain him. Local authorities released him and he went on to commit a gruesome triple murder. Honestly, I could read these cases to you all night."

Trump was referring to the case of Luis Perez, 23, a Mexican national who was living illegally in the U.S., specifically in New Brunswick, ICE said at the time. He was arrested, held and then released by the county jail and went on to be accused of killing three people in Missouri, officials said.

In December of 2017, Perez was arrested on domestic violence charges and was held at the Middlesex County jail, located off Route 130 in North Brunswick, authorities. At the time of his arrest, ICE sent the county jail a detainer request that Perez be held there until they could pick him up. Additionally, ICE also requested that it be notified should the jail decide to release him.

Patch reported, however, that the Middlesex County jail does not comply with ICE "courtesy holds," as they are often called, unless the detainee has previously been convicted of a first- or second-degree offense. These are the most serious crimes, such as murder, drug distribution, carjacking and sex assault. Read more: Trump Singles Out Middlesex County For 'Sanctuary' Policies

As for the Cumberland County incident, officials told NJ Advance Media that the ICE detainer notice of action generated for Dominguez-Trejo "had no notation on the document that specified the date when the ICE detainer was faxed, hand-delivered or mailed."