U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an immigration detainer with the Harris County Jail on April 13 for Josue Abraham Chirino-Leonice, a 19-year-old Venezuelan national, following his arrest in Pasadena, Texas for allegedly killing a co-worker with a sledgehammer.
The case has drawn attention to ongoing concerns about immigration enforcement and public safety. ICE officials said Chirino-Leonice was previously arrested by U.S. Border Patrol in November 2023 before being released into the country.
Local law enforcement apprehended Chirino-Leonice on April 12 after he was reportedly found driving the victim’s vehicle. “This criminal illegal alien — who never should have been allowed into the country in the first place — is accused of savagely beating a co-worker to death with a sledgehammer and leaving him to die in a house they were renovating together,” said Gabriel Martinez, acting Field Office Director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston. “Our officers are working tirelessly to restore integrity to our nation’s immigration system to bring an end to the carnage and unnecessary suffering in this country that’s caused by criminal illegal aliens, and we won’t rest until we’ve accomplished that mission.”
According to ICE, new executive orders issued immediately upon President Donald J. Trump reassuming office have empowered officers to enforce immigration laws more aggressively against individuals like Chirino-Leonice.
Members of the public are encouraged by ICE officials to report crimes or suspicious activity through their tip line or online form.
