Federal immigration authorities and the San Saba County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Cuban national who has been under a final deportation order for more than 26 years, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
According to ICE, Cuban national Emiliano Martinez Perez entered the United States around 1998 and was convicted of cocaine possession shortly afterward. He was ordered to leave the U.S. in early 2000, but remained in the country and was later convicted of drug trafficking in 2007.
Despite a final order of removal, Martinez Perez remained in the United States for more than two decades. ICE says he was arrested by law enforcement partners in Texas after being identified as a person wanted by federal immigration authorities.
He is now being held in jail and faces charges including kidnapping, indecent assault, unlawful restraint, and illegal tattooing.
The agency and sheriff’s office arrested him August 5 through a partnership under ICE’s 287(g) program.
“This is exactly why the partnerships under the 287(g) program matter — they enable our law enforcement partners to help us keep dangerous criminal illegal aliens from being released back into American communities,” stated acting ICE Director David J. Venturella.
Texas is ramping up its use of the 287(g) program. Under 287(g), participating sheriff’s offices work directly with ICE to identify individuals in their custody who may be subject to federal immigration enforcement.
ICE’s 287(g) program has existed since 1996, but Texas lawmakers have recently required expansion of it in the state. Senate Bill 8 requires county sheriffs to request to enter an agreement with ICE under the 287(g) program by December 1, 2026.
While counties such as Wise County have trumpeted the program’s successes, Dallas County has become a point of contention.
Sheriff Marian Brown previously said her office would make “no additional efforts” toward obtaining a 287(g) agreement, prompting Attorney General Ken Paxton to threaten legal action.
With the December 1 deadline approaching, Texas counties will soon have to comply with the state’s new requirements for cooperation with ICE.
For state and federal officials, cases like this one highlight what they say is at stake when criminal illegal aliens remain in the country despite federal orders of removal.
