A Portland man was sentenced to prison for attempting to bribe ICE agents to deport his wife and stepdaughter.
Antonio Burgos approached an ICE agent leaving his office in Vancouver, Washington, and asked the agent if he would be willing to deport his wife back to El Salvador in exchange for cash. The encounter occurred on May 24, 2018, according to the ICE Newsroom.
A Portland man was sentenced to prison for trying to bribe a U.S. deportation officer in an effort to deport his wife after their marriage soured, federal authorities say https://t.co/mkvRooDUQZ
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 8, 2019
Burgos and his wife were separating and he decided that he no longer wanted her in the country. He told the agent that he had sponsored his wife and stepdaughter to come to the United States after he and his wife were married in El Salvador.
The agent refused the request, and then reported it to ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). The office then launched a sting operation to catch the man breaking the law.
The ICE agent called Burgos over the phone with the help of an investigative team from OPR, and recorded the call, on May 31, 2018. Burgos again pitched his offer, with $3,000 compensation, according to the ICE Newsroom.
The agent called Burgos a second time, along with the team from OPR, and recorded another call. The second call was on June 5, 2018. The offer was made again. Burgos and the officer arranged to meet in person.
Man tried to bribe ICE officer to deport his wife and her kid to El Salvador during divorce process
He followed an officer in his car, offered them $3K. The cops recorded it. https://t.co/rtPYFNs3UH
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) May 7, 2019
On June 6, 2018, they met in person. Burgos raised the price to $4,000 to deport both his wife and his stepdaughter, with $2,000 offered up front and $2,000 ready after they were deported, according to the Daily Mail.
ICE officials arrested Burgos on June 29.
Burgos was charged with bribery of a public official, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.
Burgos was ultimately sentenced to four months in prison after he pleaded guilty, according to ICE. He also faces three years of supervised release, according to ABC News. A judge dealt the sentence on May 6.
Few details are known about the wife and daughter or their whereabouts, and ICE has not revealed their identity.
“Not too smart,” joked one commenter. “If she were here illegally ICE would have deported her for free. She can’t be deported even if they get divorced.”
The ICE Newsroom said the case was jointly investigated by OPR, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Portland Police Department.
The OPR is an agency primarily aimed at policing the conduct of ICE employees, to ensure that ICE operates as a professional entity and that employees follow guidelines, according to ICE’s website.
Tragedy in California
An illegal immigrant was arrested on May 5 by federal immigration officials after already having been released on bail by local authorities. He was initially arrested on suspicion of a DUI accident that killed three members of a family.
Ismael Huazo-Jardinez, 33, is suspected of speeding and then crashing into a live-in trailer, Fox News reported.
Jose Pacheco, Anna Pacheco, and their son, Angel Pacheco, were killed. The couple’s 11-year-old daughter is in critical condition.
Huazo-Jardinez was released from jail by a California judge on $300,000 bail. The California Highway Patrol sought to either set his bail at $1 million, or provide no option to get out on bail.
Huazo-Jardinez remains in federal custody while authorities figure out his immigration status.
