ICE Detainer Issued for El Salvadoran National Charged in Two Houston Murders

An 18-year-old man in the country illegally has been charged with two counts of murder in connection with separate fatal shootings in Houston, and federal immigration authorities say they are working to ensure he is not released back into the community.

Jefferson Adonay Velasquez-Torres, an El Salvadoran national, is accused of fatally shooting 27-year-old Noah Ramirez outside a Houston nightclub on April 27. Two other people were wounded in that incident. He was formally charged with murder in connection with that case this week.

Velasquez-Torres is also charged in a second killing. In June, prosecutors filed a murder charge against him stemming from a shooting at a Houston house party last August that left 17-year-old Angel Garcia dead. A second suspect, 19-year-old Enrique Aguilar, has also been arrested in connection with Garcia's death.

In addition to the murder charges, Velasquez-Torres faces counts of unlawfully carrying a weapon and aggravated robbery. A judge denied him bond on the charges tied to the second shooting, and he is currently being held in the Harris County Jail.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Velasquez-Torres entered the United States illegally as a minor in 2014, during the second term of former President Barack Obama, and was subsequently released into the country.

On Friday, DHS announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had lodged a detainer with Texas officials, asking that Velasquez-Torres not be released from custody without the agency being notified.

"This criminal illegal alien has been charged with TWO counts of murder after two fatal shootings in Houston," Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. "He would not be in our country if it weren't for the reckless open-border policies of the Obama Administration. ICE asked officials in Texas to not release this heinous murderer from jail without notifying ICE. Thankfully, Texas cooperates with us and together we will ensure this public safety threat will never be loose on our streets."

The case is the latest in a series of high-profile incidents drawing attention to the intersection of immigration enforcement and violent crime in major U.S. cities. It comes amid broader debates over sanctuary policies, cooperation between local and federal authorities, and the handling of individuals who entered the country illegally as children.

No court dates for Velasquez-Torres' upcoming proceedings have been publicly announced at this time.