An illegal migrant allegedly involved in child sex trafficking was previously arrested in New York City for attempted murder, but was released after authorities ignored a detainer request, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Enyerbert Alberto Blanco, a 27-year-old Venezuelan national living unlawfully in the United States, was arrested on Oct. 18 by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in connection to a child sex trafficking case. He was arrested alongside a Colombian woman, also in the country unlawfully, who is accused of trafficking a 15-year-old runway girl, allegedly forcing her to have sex with men at a hotel and pocketing most of her income. (RELATED: Police Arrest Venezuelan Illegal Migrants In Connection To Murder, Tren De Aragua Connections Suspected)
The New York Police Department (NYPD) arrested Blanco in the Bronx for attempted murder, criminal use of a firearm and reckless endangerment on Oct. 31, 2023, according to federal immigration authorities. However, when ICE agents encountered Blanco at Bronx Central Booking and lodged an immigration detainer, that detainer was not honored and the NYPD released him back into the public.
A spokesperson for the NYPD did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 26: NYPD officers patrol Gracie Mansion, the Mayor’s residence, on September 26, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Darcel Clark, a Democrat, serves as the district attorney for Bronx County, where ICE says Blanco was arrested and booked for his attempted murder charge.
Clark has “pioneered alternative to incarceration initiatives” since entering office, according to her career biography. Her tenure as district attorney has been marred in controversy, including accusations of harassment and intimidation against an NYPD cop as retaliation for giving a traffic ticket to a Democrat council member, among numerous other complaints.
The Center for Justice Innovation, a non-profit liberal organization in New York City that advocates for “community-based alternatives to jail” for criminals, has worked with Clark’s office on how to reach this goal.
Clark’s office did not respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.
Blanco later ended up in Florida following his release by NYC officials, as he was arrested by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) — the investigative arm of ICE — for interfering with custody of a minor and resisting an officer, in connection to the sex trafficking case. He is currently being held in Palm Beach County Jail.
Local authorities located the missing girl in a hotel room, along with lingerie, condoms, over $1,000 in cash and two phones, according to court documents. Investigators say a search of the phones uncovered chats with the defendant about how to perform sex acts and menu options for clients.
In a Monday press conference, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw expressed outrage that the Venezuelan man was released by the NYPD despite the severity of the charges against him.
“How can he be out on bond for an attempted murder out of New York?” the sheriff asked. “That’s unconscionable!”
“But I can tell you one thing, folks. That female and this guy here that was involved in this, their butts are staying in my jail,” Bradshaw pledged. “They’re not coming out!”
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office also suspects Blanco to be affiliated with Tren de Aragua, an international crime syndicate that originated in Venezuela, due to tattoo designs on his body, but they have not yet been able to confirm those ties.
Both Blanco and the Colombian woman he was arrested with, Yenire Karolina Pacheco Leiton, share similar criminal backgrounds, according to ICE. Both were encountered by Border Patrol agents on May 6, 2023 after unlawfully crossing into the U.S. near Rio Grande, Texas, and both were released by the Biden-Harris administration after enrolling them onto the Alternatives to Detention program.
Pacheco had also been previously arrested by the New York Police Department — on charges of obstructing government administration, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment — and detained at Bronx Central Booking, according to ICE.
Federal immigration authorities confirmed they have lodged detainers for Blanco and Pacheco. Bradshaw said during his press conference that he would be holding both individuals under the detainer request.
The arrest of Blanco and Pacheco marks the latest blemish in New York City’s sanctuary laws, which largely prohibit local police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, police leadership and some moderate members of the city council have called for changes to the sanctuary policies, but so far the Democrat-dominated city council has remained resistant to reform.
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