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FIRST ON FOX: An illegal immigrant’s alleged hit-and-run that critically injured an elderly woman outside her Miami-Dade home prompted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to urge local authorities to “cooperate with us and not release this criminal from jail.”
Seventy-four-year-old Geraldine Byrd, whom neighbors described as “kind” and friendly, is on life support in critical condition after authorities say she was run over by illegal immigrant Tomas Raymundo Brito, according to CBS Miami.
The outlet reported that Brito allegedly struck Byrd twice outside her home early Sunday morning. Byrd had stepped out of her car to open her gate when Brito allegedly struck her vehicle, causing it to spin into Byrd before his truck allegedly struck her again, trapping her underneath the vehicle.
Neighbors were reportedly alerted to the crash by the sound of a loud boom. One neighbor, named Kristina Diaz, told NBC 6 South Florida that “we could hear screaming, we could hear everybody yelling, ‘Where is she? Oh, she’s underneath the car. Call 911.’”
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The same neighbor told the outlet that Byrd “would always send my daughter gifts for her birthday. So, she was a very kind woman.” Speaking in Spanish, another neighbor, Flor Ortiz, told CBS Miami that although she and Byrd “do not speak the same language, but we always greet each other. She is a good person.”
After the incident, Brito allegedly got out of the truck and fled the scene. A family member of Byrd’s reportedly chased him down and found him hiding in a shed. After his arrest, Brito reportedly admitted he was the driver and said he drank five beers before the incident.
Byrd was airlifted to a nearby hospital and remains on life support in critical condition, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Brito was charged with leaving the scene of a crash causing serious bodily injury and driving without a license.
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Fox News Digital learned that ICE lodged a detainer with the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center the same day Brito was arrested.
Brito entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown date and location, according to DHS. He is a Guatemalan national.
“This criminal illegal alien from Guatemala is charged with hit-and-run after a drunk-driving accident that sent a 74-year-old woman to the hospital in critical condition in Miami-Dade County,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“He should have never been allowed in our communities or on our streets,” Mullin continued, adding, “ICE is asking officials in Miami-Dade County to cooperate with us and not release this criminal from jail, and to turn him over to ICE custody so we can remove him from our country.”
Mullin added that “thanks to the strong leadership of President Donald Trump, ICE is unleashed to go after criminal illegal aliens like this one so that we can make America safe again.”
A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department confirmed with Fox News Digital that the department had received ICE’s request and that Brito is currently in custody.
The spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “Miami-Dade County honors these detainer requests in accordance with the law by holding the individual for the authorized 48-hour period.”
The spokesperson said that “if ICE does not take custody of the individual within that timeframe, the individual is released as required by law.”
“Miami-Dade County and the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department comply with all applicable laws regarding immigration detainer requests and do not deny detainer requests submitted by federal authorities,” the spokesperson added.
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Miami-Dade County is not a sanctuary jurisdiction, and Florida law prohibits sanctuary policies. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office also participates in ICE’s 287(g) program under state law.
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Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a Democrat, has previously criticized ICE’s “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center, which closed down this June. Upon the center’s closure, Cava released a statement alleging that “people, including some of our own residents,” had been “held there without meaningful due process.”
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She added that “immigrants helped build Miami-Dade County, and our community has always believed that public safety, the rule of law, and respect for human dignity can go hand in hand.”
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