ICE said Thursday it’s helping Seattle-area police search for an illegal immigrant wanted in connections with the disappearance of another man.
Jorge Omar Alcantara-Gonzalez had been on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportation radar for several years, but local authorities in King County shielded him from ICE under their sanctuary policies.
Now neighboring Kittitas County is searching for Mr. Alcantara-Gonzalez, ICE said.
The county sheriff’s office is investigating the disappearance of Ian Eckles on May 16. They found a vehicle belonging to him and connected it to Mr. Alcantara-Gonzalez, according to KOMO-TV.
Investigators believe Mr. Alcantara-Gonzalez then stole a camper’s tent.
King County’s sanctuary policy has long been an issue for ICE, which over the last couple of years has pointed to several grisly gang murders it ties to illegal immigrants who were released because King County refuses to work on immigration matters with the deportation agency.
The federal government is currently battled in court over King County’s policy discouraging use of airports in its jurisdiction for ICE flights.
*story by The Washington Times