Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Texas arrested a Venezuelan illegal alien wanted in his home country for torturing and attempting to murder a woman. The fugitive, 31-year-old Raul Enrique Pargas Rodriguez, was captured in Plano on August 14 after entering the U.S. illegally in 2022 and being released under Biden-era “catch-and-release” policies.
According to ICE, Pargas lured a young woman to his workshop in Venezuela in February 2021 before launching into a violent rage. He allegedly beat and demeaned her, then played a twisted game of Russian roulette by pointing a loaded pistol at her head, removing and replacing bullets. The woman managed to escape, and Pargas fled Venezuela.
Pargas crossed into the U.S. illegally near Eagle Pass, Texas, in August 2022. Border Patrol agents initially detained him, but due to Biden administration discretionary policies, he was released into the country. Fifteen months later, ICE officers encountered him in the Dallas County jail following an assault arrest—yet he was released again.
“This dangerous criminal alien allegedly beat, demeaned, and tortured a young woman … and then fled to the United States when his attempt to murder her fell apart,” said ICE Dallas acting Field Office Director Joshua Johnson. He credited a Border Patrol tip with helping locate and apprehend Pargas.
A video released by ICE showed Pargas crying after being placed in a police vehicle. ICE said he now faces repatriation to Venezuela, where he is wanted for attempted aggravated femicide. He remains in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings.
The case underscores the public safety risks of the Biden administration’s lenient immigration policies, which critics argue have allowed violent criminals to remain in U.S. communities rather than face swift removal.
