A previously deported illegal alien accused of sexually assaulting a teenager in New Jersey could walk free because the state refuses to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Gerardo Garcia Gonzalez, a Mexican national, was arrested this week in Ocean County on charges of sexual assault of a victim between 13 and 15 years old, criminal sexual contact, and sexual assault by force or coercion.
ICE records show Gonzalez first crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 2001 and was returned to Mexico. He crossed again at an unknown date and location, a felony under federal law. He was in the country illegally when he allegedly attacked the child.
Officials warned that New Jersey’s sanctuary policies could result in Gonzalez being released from county jail before federal agents can take him into custody.
“This pedophile should never have been in our country and able to prey on children in the first place,” said Lauren Bis, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security.
“We are calling on New Jersey sanctuary politicians to not release this predator charged with sexually assaulting a child from jail into New Jersey neighborhoods,” Bis said. “This is the exact reason we need sanctuary jurisdictions to work with us. No one should want this sicko to be on our streets.”
In February, Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed an executive order barring ICE agents from using state property for enforcement operations. The order also allows illegal aliens to report the dates and locations of ICE arrests to the state attorney general’s office, which feeds the information into a publicly available portal.
Immigration advocates have defended sanctuary policies as a way to build trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement, arguing that cooperation with ICE discourages crime victims and witnesses from coming forward.
ICE has not said whether a detainer has been filed for Gonzalez or whether the Ocean County Jail plans to honor it. The agency has faced repeated obstacles in New Jersey, where local officials have cited the governor’s executive order as grounds for refusing federal detainers.
