PALM BEACH, Fla. (NewsNation) — An uptick in migrants committing serious crimes is shining a light on the nation’s border policies.
Florida law enforcement authorities have reported an increase in violent crimes being committed by migrants in the U.S. illegally. In just the past month, three suspects have been arrested in connection to violent crimes in the Sunshine State.
Herber Amador Guerrero
Palm Beach County officials arrested and charged Herber Amador Guerrero, 26, of Honduras on Friday for allegedly sexually abusing a minor and other violent charges.
Authorities revealed Guerrero was ordered out of the U.S. on May 30, 2017, but was never officially deported. Now, he is currently being held at Palm Beach County Jail on charges of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, domestic battery with strangulation and aggravated battery on a pregnant teen.
Josefina Cardona-Cardona
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said they arrested 43-year-old Josefina Cardona-Cardona of Guatemala earlier this month for allegedly trying to hire a hitman to kill two witnesses in her teenage son’s criminal case.
Authorities said she is also in the U.S. illegally and may be deported after her case is tried. Cardona-Cardona is also being held at Palm Beach County Jail but on charges of premeditated first-degree murder and criminal solicitation capital felony.
Marvin Perez Lopez
Marvin Perez Lopez, 20, of Guatemala was arrested earlier this month, less than six months after he crossed into the U.S. illegally.
Authorities said Lopez crossed the border in January and was released by federal officials with a future court date in 2027. That’s when he made his way to Florida, where PBSO said he was arrested on May 4 for allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting a child.
Lopez is being held at Palm Beach County Jail without bond on charges of kidnapping a minor under 13 years of age and sexual assault.
Crisis on the border
Florida-based immigration lawyer Rolando Vazquez said the state is receiving thousands of illegal immigrants who aren’t being properly vetted before being released in the U.S. but who also don’t have court dates for years.
“And now, the courts are congested until 2027-2028, some even further. That’s a major problem we are seeing. Our system itself is collapsing, it’s just too many cases,” Vazquez said. “I don’t think any country is equipped to take this many immigrants in over such a short period of time.”
Vazquez said these criminal cases underscore a much larger problem happening at the border.
This week, House lawmakers will meet on Capitol Hill to discuss two bills to improve the border crisis. The first would require migrants in the U.S. illegally who are arrested for assaulting law enforcement officers to be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for possible deportation.
The second would require Attorney General Merrick Garland to submit a report to Congress detailing the effects the migrant surge at the border has had on agents.
NewsNation contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for comment regarding why Guerrero wasn’t removed from the country despite the deportation order issued seven years ago. ICE has not yet responded.