Convicted child molester released by NC sheriff who says ICE didn’t get a warrant
The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office released a convicted child molester, saying immigration officials who had wanted him detained never got a warrant for his arrest.
Marvin Torres was arrested in 2017 and convicted this week of indecent liberties with a minor, Buncombe County officials said. A judge sentenced Torres to time served and released him Tuesday, a day after his conviction.
In a statement, the sheriff’s office defended the decision to release Torres.
“Mr. Torres was in the custody of the Buncombe County Detention Center for more than two years with the full knowledge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). During that time ICE sent a detainer request, but failed to secure an arrest warrant and therefore Mr. Torres met the conditions of his release set forth by the judicial system,” the statement said.
Sheriff Quentin Miller is one of several sheriffs in North Carolina’s biggest counties who have refused to cooperate with ICE detainer requests, arguing that immigration officials need criminal warrants.
“If ICE is aware of an individual that they have determined to be a danger to the public safety of Buncombe County then ICE should obtain a warrant for their arrest. Once that warrant has been secured my deputies will work to apprehend that individual,” the sheriff said in a statement.
North Carolina’s U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis was quick to criticize the sheriff for releasing Torres. In a statement Wednesday, he said he introduced new federal legislation to require sheriffs to honor requests from ICE to detain a person without a warrant.
“This is yet another example of how reckless sanctuary policies are putting dangerous criminals back into our communities and impeding the ability of federal law enforcement to do their jobs. A handful of North Carolina sheriffs are providing sanctuary to murderers, rapists, and child molesters instead of simply transferring them to ICE so they can be deported,” Tillis said. “It’s a dereliction of their duty to keep North Carolinians safe.”
This story was originally published October 30, 2019 at 2:44 PM.
