U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed an immigration detainer on Darwin Felipe Bahamon Martinez, a 21-year-old Colombian national accused of causing a fatal crash during a police pursuit in Anaheim, California. Authorities say Bahamon Martinez entered the United States near Chula Vista in August 2023 without legal permission.
According to ICE officials from the Los Angeles field office, “Bahamon Martinez illegally entered the U.S. near Chula Vista, California, in August 2023. He was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration’s so-called ‘catch-and-release’ policies, but if that hadn’t happened, the innocent 59-year-old driver he allegedly killed may still be alive today.”
During a three-minute chase with Anaheim police, Bahamon Martinez reportedly collided with two vehicles. One of the drivers, a 59-year-old individual, died as a result of the incident. An 83-year-old woman driving another vehicle sustained minor injuries and received medical treatment.
Bahamon Martinez is currently held at Orange County Jail on homicide charges while awaiting criminal proceedings. ICE lodged its detainer on January 22, seeking custody if he is released by local authorities.
The agency emphasized concerns about public safety if Bahamon Martinez were to be released into the community due to California’s sanctuary policies. “California must honor our immigration detainer. Otherwise, ICE will be forced to re-arrest this criminal illegal alien at-large. At-large arrests are significantly more dangerous than custody transfers are because they require ICE officers to arrest unpredictable criminal illegal aliens in public settings,” stated ICE.
ICE encourages members of the public to report crimes or suspicious activity through its hotline or online tip form and provides updates about its activities on social media platform X via @ICEgov.
