ICE agents detained Edgar Chacon‑Miranda, a 45‑year‑old father, on August 19 in the parking lot of La Familia Medical Center while he was taking his 11‑year‑old daughter to a medical appointment. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described him as a “criminal illegal alien” with an “extensive criminal history,” citing arrests for battery, second‑degree criminal sexual penetration, child abuse and abandonment of a child.
Charges were previously dismissed
Review of court records by KOAT shows that all four charges stemmed from a 2018 case involving allegations made by a former partner. The Santa Fe judge dismissed the charges after the state failed to prosecute, and the District Attorney’s Office confirmed the case never moved forward because the alleged victim did not cooperate. Prosecutors attempted to revive the case in 2021, but again the victim declined participation.
Attorney challenges the detention
Immigration attorney Allegra Love, who represents Chacon‑Miranda, said ICE informed her that her client was being held at the Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia, but she has been unable to contact him or obtain the legal basis for his continued detention. “All the systems that I have as a lawyer to be able to track down a detainee aren’t working right now,” Love said.
Love acknowledged the seriousness of the original allegations but emphasized that an arrest is not a conviction. She also noted that a Santa Fe family‑court order grants Chacon‑Miranda full custody of his children, indicating the court found him capable of safely caring for them.
Impact on the family
The attorney warned that publicizing the dismissed allegations is harming the children, especially the daughter who witnessed the arrest. “His children are suffering because this information has become public and they’re smearing their father’s name across the internet and social media,” Love said.
Immigration status and prior relief
Chacon‑Miranda received a U‑visa in 2022 after cooperating with law enforcement as a crime victim. The visa expired in May after its four‑year term. He has since applied for lawful permanent residency and is awaiting a decision from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
State Senate Republican Leader Bill Sharer defended the ICE action, stating that “immigration status doesn’t change that” and praising ICE for removing a violent criminal from the streets. U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez’s office, however, urged ICE to keep detainees in New Mexico so they can remain closer to their families and attorneys.
Broader context
The detention occurs amid a series of ICE arrests in Santa Fe, with eight people detained in the same week, including other parents and individuals with medical conditions. District Attorney Mary Carmack‑Altwies criticized the federal description of Chacon‑Miranda, saying it “defies everything this community stands for.”
Love concluded, “There’s no reason this man should be detained,” and continues to seek his release while the case proceeds through immigration courts.
Original reporting: KOAT Albuquerque — read the source article.
