Federal immigration officers tore right into a Suffolk County choose for permitting a once-deported unlawful immigrant to stay free after his fourth felony drunk driving conviction.
A rep for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement advised The Put up Decide Bryan Browns blew it when he ignored prosecutors and allowed Salvadoran nationwide Pablo Aguilar-Alvarez, 36, to stroll away with out bail Friday.
He’s thought of a flight danger as he’s due again in court docket for sentencing in two months, when he faces as much as seven years in jail.
“The county choose ought to give attention to public security, not making excuses for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement,” a spokesperson for the federal company stated. “ICE will do every part in its energy to seek out, detain, and take away this prison unlawful alien from American communities.
“Our message is obvious: When you come to our nation illegally and break our legal guidelines, we’ll discover you, arrest you, and you’ll by no means return,” the flak stated. “Beneath President Trump and [Homeland Security] Secretary [Markwayne] Mullin, prison unlawful aliens should not welcome in america.”
Aguilar-Alvarez, whose string of felony drunk driving convictions date to 2017, was deported in March 2024 after his third felony DWI conviction for a June 2022 arrest, prosecutors stated.
In some unspecified time in the future, he snuck again into the US, authorities stated.
He was arrested once more in November after his panicked gal pal known as cops from a Southampton gasoline station the place he pulled over to select up extra booze, Suffolk County prosecutors stated Monday.
Southampton cops pulled him over after he was noticed blowing by way of a cease signal and driving throughout the double yellow line on the street, and hit him together with his fourth drunk driving cost in 10 years.
Prosecutors stated Aguilar-Alvarez additionally had a misdemeanor DUI in 2012.
However ICE stated Tuesday that the immigrant additionally “has an in depth prison historical past, together with earlier costs and convictions for DUI, drug possession, and weapons possession.”
The spokesperson stated that, after Aguilar-Alvarez snuck again into the nation after he was deported in 2024, native legislation enforcement has constantly did not honor ICE’s detainers each time they’ve been lodged following Aguilar Alvarez’s arrests.
They stated an immigration detainer was additionally lodged after the Nov. 29 Southampton arrest.
A Suffolk County jury discovered Aguilar-Alvarez responsible of felony DWI on Friday, with prosecutors asking the choose to carry him with out bail till his Oct. 2 sentencing — however Browns let him free till then.
The New York State Workplace of Courtroom Administration, which speaks for Empire State judges, didn’t reply to requests for touch upon Monday and Tuesday.
The choose beforehand labored with the Suffolk County Department of the nonprofit Authorized Help Society, which gives authorized assist to folks from underprivileged backgrounds.
The agency represented Aguilar-Alvarez within the newest case, in response to Suffolk DA Ray Tierney.
Browns has overseen DUIs earlier than, together with a 2022 case involving a Polish nationwide who fled the nation after being indicted for a deadly drunken crash. Browns ordered the con — who additionally had earlier DUIs — held with out bail after he was apprehended and extradited to the US.
