U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it lodged a detainer with the San Diego Sheriff’s Office for a previously removed criminal suspect charged in a hit-and-run that resulted in the death of an 11-year-old boy.
The case involves the Thanksgiving morning death of Aiden Antonio Torres De Paz, who was struck outside his home in Escondido, California, while retrieving a soccer ball. The driver, identified as Hector Balderas-Aheelor, allegedly fled the scene. According to ICE, Balderas-Aheelor, a Mexican national, had been removed from the United States four times before his latest illegal re-entry. ICE said it issued a detainer following his arrest by local authorities for felony hit-and-run. The agency expressed concern that California’s sanctuary policies may prevent the detainer from being honored, potentially allowing his release despite repeated deportations.
Balderas-Aheelor’s record includes four prior removals from the U.S., highlighting ongoing enforcement challenges in sanctuary jurisdictions. Federal data indicates that in fiscal year 2024, ICE lodged more than 170,000 immigration detainers nationwide; however, local jurisdictions in sanctuary states declined nearly 40% of them. ICE officials assert that noncompliance with detainers leads to increased risk for public safety and higher reoffense rates among criminal illegal aliens.
California remains one of the top states for declined ICE detainers. In 2024, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, local California agencies ignored more than 11,000 ICE detainer requests under the state’s sanctuary framework. Supporters of sanctuary policies argue they promote community trust, but opponents cite rising public safety concerns and the release of repeat offenders. The Balderas-Aheelor case has reignited debate over those laws.
ICE was established in 2003 under the Department of Homeland Security and is the principal federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws and investigating cross-border criminal activity. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., ICE operates through two main divisions: Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Its mission is to protect national security and public safety through identifying, detaining, and removing individuals who violate immigration or customs laws.
