Gregory Bovino (00:00):
... Mr. Marcos Charles. And at that time, after Mr. Charles is done, we'll take any questions that you may have. So operations continue unabated here in Minneapolis. Several illegal alien criminals taken off the streets yet again over the past 24 hours. Again, that is what we're here to do and we're not going to be deterred in doing that. We are going to take these criminal illegal aliens off the street and make America a safer place, make Minneapolis a safer place. Again, that is why we're here.
(00:34)
Let me detail a couple of illegal aliens we took off the streets over the past 24 hours that were walking our streets over those past 24 hours. Here's one, Mr. Carlos Gomez Acosta, charged with cocaine trafficking and a controlled substance violation. This is an interesting one because this individual was what we would term as a Gulf, which is a gotaway across the border. This individual crossed the border and was a Gulf, a gotaway. More than likely over those past four years when we had millions crossing the border unabated. This is what we get in our communities. What happens at the border does not stay at the border. And then we have Lin Lin Lee, an illegal alien from red China. This individual is charged with child neglect and endangerment. Let me say that again. Child neglect and endangerment and prostitution. An illegal alien walking the streets of Minneapolis.
(01:45)
Now, we just talked children yesterday a little bit. Let's talk a little more since we've got an illegal alien we just took off the streets of Minneapolis that was someone engaged in child neglect and endangerment. Here in the US Border Patrol, I will say unequivocally that we are experts in dealing with children. Let me say that again, experts in dealing with children. Not because we want to be, but because we have to be. Over those past four years, hundreds of thousands of children were trafficked across that border. Guess who they came into contact with? Sometimes who was the very first law enforcement agency or American citizen that they saw? US Border Patrol, followed by our counterparts at Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We're definitely the experts at dealing with children, unfortunately. Hundreds of thousands under that last administration. Not to mention the 300,000 lost children. 300,000 plus lost children that were trafficked across that border.
(02:49)
Now, when we've got the news media talking about children, I'd certainly love to hear more reporting on the 300,000 lost children. How about the 14 that we recovered at that pot farm a few months ago in Camarillo, California? The 14 lost children trafficked across the border that were found working illegally on a pot farm in California. Very little reporting from the Minneapolis news media here. I didn't really hear much from you guys. And then some of the more heinous crimes against children that are trafficked across the border that ICE and Border Patrol saw daily back when that border was out of control over those past four years.
(03:30)
I'll detail one for you, folks, that's truly heinous. Border Patrol agents there in the El Centro sector encountered a young child was approximately three years of age. The child appeared to be drugged, not with his parents, with strangers. Agents managed to wake the child up after doing what is known as a sternum rub, which is a technique to wake someone up that may be induced by drugs. As the child woke up, we understood the child's parents were not with him and medical examination saw that this child had non-surgical sutures in his abdomen. Let me say that again. Non-surgical sutures in the child's abdomen. He was being trafficked across the border in that condition. That's not an isolated event with the US Border Patrol or ICE. We saw that many, many times. Drugged children coming across the border and guess what? Other than a couple of news outlets, I believe NewsNation and Fox reported, nobody else would. Nothing on a child with non-surgical sutures in his abdomen and nobody knows why.
(04:48)
Now, the five-year-old yesterday, some of you just had questions on the five-year-old yesterday. That five-year-old remains with his family. Let me say that again, remains with his family. We know that. That false media narrative that was pushed out yesterday was, well, it was false. He remains with his family. But let's talk about who doesn't remain with their family. And I think this is the most important thing that we're talking about with children. How about our victim of the day? A victim at the hands of illegal alien criminals, these same criminals that we are taking off the streets that you see on these screens behind us. This victim was Rachel Morin. She left behind five children. Let me say that again. She left behind five children after she was killed by an illegal alien from Central America. He decided to murder her and hide her body in a culvert.
(05:49)
Oh, wait a second. That was after he raped her. She separated permanently from her five children. Let me say that again. Separated permanently from her five children. Why isn't that reported on? Very little reporting in the local news media or the news media on those types of situations. Now, I would call this the DSP syndrome. That's a term that I made up. I'm not a medical doctor. I'm a border patrol agent. It's called the double standard phenomena. Say that again. The DSP is the double standard phenomena. We see this quite often, the DSP. American citizens that are arrested daily here in Minneapolis, are they separated from their children and families? Absolutely, as they should be. Criminals face consequences. Criminals face consequences. But yet that double standard does not seem to apply to illegal aliens. Why is that? Perhaps someone could detail that for me because I don't quite understand all the parameters involved in the DSP, the double standard phenomena.
(07:03)
So as we continue this mission here in Minneapolis, we will continue to take these bad people, bad things off the streets, despite the DSP, the double standard phenomena. Despite the false narrative reporting by many news media outlets, we will continue unabated in our mission to ensure there are no more Rachel Morins separated from her five children. And I'll close by saying organizations, organizations, victims' organizations, victims' rights, organizations. What about the Angel Moms? That one's one that's never reported on. How many victims do you need before an organization like that pops up? It's not one or two, I can guarantee you that. Look at MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving from back in the '80s and '90s. That organization popped up because a lot of children were getting killed by drunk drivers. Well, what about the Angel Moms now? How many victims of illegal aliens that should not be here in the United States are causing family separation for American citizens that's not reported on by most news media outlets?
(08:22)
How many does it take? I'd like to ask, excuse me, PBS or CNN or any of the other outlets, how many? How many does it take? I'd love that question. There's another phenomenon there. I would love that question answered. But the fact of the matter is we do have angel moms. A lot of them, unfortunately. It's very heartbreaking to meet them, although they're not reported on very much, heartbreaking. But we're here to ensure there are no more angel moms. We don't want more angel moms, and that's why Marcos and I are here. US Border Patrol, ICE and those allied law enforcement teams, we're going to take, again, these criminal aliens off the streets that you see behind us and that I've shown you this morning. We're going to take them off the streets wholesale. It's on. We won't quit. Thank you for your time this morning. I'll introduce Mr. Marcos Charles. Marcos.
Marcos Charles (09:19):
Good morning. Thanks, Commander Bovino. Thank you all for being here to get the real facts of what ICE federal partners are doing in the Twin Cities. For us, every day is about public safety, not politics. It's a shame to see politicians and activists spreading fear in their own communities by creating a false narrative about what we do and who we are and who we arrest. The media and political activists have tried to deceive the American public about ICE and our operations. Yet again, they have failed, but the truth matters, and I'm here to tell you the truth about what we do.
(09:58)
This week, ICRO conducted targeted enforcement operation to arrest Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, an illegal alien who was released back into the interior of the United States by the previous administration. When officers approached Conejo Arias, he and his child were in a vehicle. Arias fled from law enforcement on foot, abandoning his child in the middle of winter in a vehicle. One of our officers stayed behind with that child while other officers apprehended his father. After conducting the arrest, my officers stayed with the child. They cared for him, took him to get something to eat from a drive-through restaurant and spent hours ensuring he was taken care of.
(10:46)
Again, my officers did that, not his father. My officers did everything they could to reunite him with his family. Tragically, when we approached the door of his residence, the people inside refused to take him in and open the door. Let me say it again. They saw the young boy and they refused to open the door and take him back. This is the human side of the job that my officers do. They are family, men and women. They have children of their own. They sacrifice everything for their families. I know for a fact that they were heartbroken to see the child's own family leave him behind.
(11:35)
Fortunately, Conejo Arias eventually requested that his child stay with him. We do everything in our power not to separate families. So they took him back together here to the city, to the ICE facility for processing, and now they are being well cared for at a family residential center pending their immigration proceedings. This is the real face of ICE, ERO, Border Patrol, and our allied partners. The media doesn't know our officers, we do. My officers do the right thing no matter how difficult or how long it takes throughout the day.
(12:19)
Let me debunk a couple more lies. Conejo Arias was not walking to school with his child and we did not target the child. Arias fled from law enforcement officers and left his child behind, again, middle of winter in a car. We will enforce the law as it's written, but we will go above and beyond to reunite families because that is who we are. I also want to clarify the recent arrests of the ringleaders of the city's church riots. Federal law protects the freedom of religion and the right to worship without interference. What these agitators did was not a peaceful protest. They rioted at church services. They screamed and harassed children. They denied Minnesotans the ability to worship peacefully. Again, this was not a peaceful protest. You don't go in front up to a child and yell at them. That is not a peaceful protest.
(13:30)
I've been in law enforcement for 33 years now, and this is the first time I've ever seen a protest in a church where they're harassing individuals trying to peacefully worship. It's disturbing to know that these individuals would target sacred spaces and viciously harass innocent families. Sacred spaces must be respected. While I cannot speak to ongoing investigations and prosecutions, I can say that ICE, DHS, and the Department of Justice are wholly committed to maintaining public safety and the rule of law. That is why we are here today. I'm calling on everyone, politicians, the media and activists to put an end to the dangerous, irresponsible rhetoric once and for all. You are pitting communities against federal law enforcement and you are pitting neighbor against neighbor in Minnesota. This is why I'm up here almost every day to show you the good work my officers are doing. This is the same reason that Chief Bovino is up here every day. The public needs to know about the dangerous criminal illegal aliens we're arresting. They need to see the faces of the monsters that these agitators are trying to protect.
(14:43)
Yesterday, we arrested the following individuals: Jose Ocampo Leon, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of sexual conduct with a child under 16. Also up on these. Gerardo Sanchez Zacunya, a criminal illegal alien convicted of drug trafficking. Salvador Salazar Rivera, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of violent domestic assault that inflicted bodily injury on his spouse. These are not the people that you want living next door to you. Rudy Pineda Aguilar, a criminal illegal alien from Guatemala convicted of criminal sexual conduct, not the people you want living by your schools. And finally, Jeffrey Ramon Robinales, a criminal illegal alien from Guatemala convicted of assault, domestic assault, and damage to property. These are the people that those protestors and agitators are trying to protect.
(15:59)
Do we have the photo? Moments ago, a group of agitators, a U-Haul van filled with shields... It's not coming up.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
We'll get the photo up.
Marcos Charles (16:21):
All right. Shields and gear decided to come over here to the Whipple Building and block traffic. They're currently trying to impede us from getting out of the building and going and do our mission. I'll tell you right now, they're going to fail because no matter what they put up in front of us, we are here to do a job to protect this community, to protect Minnesotans, and to keep the criminal legal aliens off the street and put them where they belong, back into detention and remove them from this country. Thank you guys. Take questions now.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
All right. We'll start from here and down. Everyone will get questions.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
I appreciate you taking our questions. You talked about specifically five of the people who sold. They were up on the slides. For people that are just watching this and just see faces on these slides, there are no names and just the country they're from and offense. How do you build trust in the community with some that might be skeptical when they don't know who these people are and don't know everything about the people that you're looking taking into custody?
Marcos Charles (17:25):
We're relying on you guys to put that message out. We put these slides up for you so you can get the message out to the public of the good work that our men and women are doing.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
Can I just follow up real quick?
Marcos Charles (17:35):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
The people that you've taken into custody, can you talk about... The worst of the worst that you call them. What about the other people? Are you taking people into custody that don't have criminal past like the people you've talked about? Are there people that are going through the green card process, the asylum process? Are those people being detained now too during the surge?
Marcos Charles (17:57):
I will tell you this. We operate through intelligence and targeted enforcement. We are looking for certain individuals. As we are looking for these individuals, if there is somebody that is illegally in the country and amenable to removal from this country, we will arrest them.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
So some may not have a criminal pass, a violent criminal past?
Marcos Charles (18:17):
Correct. Correct.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Like those people are in custody too.
Marcos Charles (18:19):
Yeah, because every day that they're here, they are committing a crime. They may have been here 20 years, but that means for the last 20 years, they have failed to do it the right way. And every day that they're here, they are here illegally in the United States. Now, we are not targeting those individuals, but if we come across those individuals in the course of our duties, we will arrest them.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
All right. Next question.
Speaker 5 (18:40):
Yesterday, Minnesota's corrections commissioner shared videos of inmates being transferred, handed over to federal agents, and he says he can't find a single case where the DOC failed to honor the ICE detainers when someone finishes their in-custody state prison term. And he also says that you are overcounting the number of non-citizens that are in state custody by a thousand. I'm wondering if you can address those discrepancies between what you guys have said in these press conferences and what the state commissioner of corrections said yesterday.
Marcos Charles (19:11):
Yeah, I clarified that yesterday by saying that the Department of Corrections for State of Minnesota does cooperate. They hand people over at the end of their sentence and we take them into custody. The numbers that we put out aren't... When I say the State of Minnesota, I'm not talking about just the Department of Corrections. I'm talking throughout the state, counties, any municipalities that may be holding people.
Speaker 5 (19:31):
So he did say that there are about 207 in prison in 94 in county jails to make 301 total. I believe the numbers you guys were giving were more like 1300. So what's the discrepancy?
Marcos Charles (19:47):
The discrepancy is that he's Department of Corrections and we're Immigration and Customs Enforcement with better databases than he has, as far as who are in custody.
Speaker 5 (19:56):
In the state custody though? In county custody?
Marcos Charles (19:58):
And throughout the United States. So the numbers I gave you were for Minnesota, correct. But our stats, our detainers are the ones that we count. We don't go into DOC data and count their data. It's not our data. Our data shows that we have over 1,300.
Speaker 5 (20:14):
In Minnesota?
Marcos Charles (20:15):
In Minnesota.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Next question.
Speaker 6 (20:17):
Just a few questions on the five-year-old and I'll rattle them off quickly and I'll repeat them if need be. Does the father have a criminal record? What charges was he arrested on? What's the son's legal status and immigration history? And what can you tell us about any ICE interactions with the mother as well as her legal status and immigration history?
Marcos Charles (20:34):
That was pretty fast.
Speaker 6 (20:36):
Yeah. Okay. Let's start with the first one. Does the father actually have a criminal record? And if so, what charges was he arrested on?
Marcos Charles (20:44):
I will have to get back to you with any of his in-depth criminal history, but he was in the United States illegally and I believe he'd been ordered removed.
Speaker 6 (20:52):
I'm from the AP. Your press people do have my contact information.
Marcos Charles (20:54):
Yep.
Speaker 6 (20:56):
And what's the son's legal status and immigration history?
Marcos Charles (21:00):
The family came across as a family unit illegally a few years back. I can't get the date off the top of my head.
Speaker 6 (21:08):
Can you tell us anything about ICE's interactions with mother as well as her legal status and immigration history?
Marcos Charles (21:13):
We have not encountered the mother as of this time.
Maggie Vespa (21:19):
My question's for the commander, just given portions of your remarks, and we appreciate you taking questions very much.
Gregory Bovino (21:25):
Of course.
Maggie Vespa (21:26):
Maggie Vespa from NBC News. We have reported multiple times in depth quoting DHS's statements saying that Liam Ramos is being held with his father in Texas. With that context in mind, we still have people saying that they're outraged at the idea of little kids being held in custody at all. So what do you say to those people and what kinds of conditions are young children being held in?
Gregory Bovino (21:52):
As far as that family has not been separated, so it goes back-
Maggie Vespa (21:57):
We reported that.
Gregory Bovino (21:58):
Yes.
Maggie Vespa (21:58):
So even with that in mind he's in custody, being detained in Texas with his dad.
Gregory Bovino (22:03):
Yes, with his dad.
Maggie Vespa (22:03):
Right.
Gregory Bovino (22:03):
So that goes back to exactly what I just said is many American citizens are separated when they're arrested, say by Minneapolis Police Department or any other police department, they are separated from their children when they're arrested. So take a look at what's happening here with this particular case. They're not being separated. That child is in the least restrictive setting possible. When I say that we're experts, both Border Patrol and ICE in dealing with immigration cases that involve children, probably the most experienced anywhere in the United States by any domestic law enforcement agency. I know that in my particular border patrol sector that saw thousands of individuals coming across the border during that last administration, including hundreds of children, I remember our agents in the back parking lot playing soccer matches with those children in the back parking lot. I challenge any other law enforcement agency anywhere nationwide to show me the fantastic care that ICE and US Border Patrol provide children. Don't come across the border illegally, especially don't commit crimes or there will be consequences and American citizens face it, so the law is fair and firm.
Maggie Vespa (23:24):
If I may follow up, you said he's with his family. Another way of looking at that might be that we don't imprison or detain American children, penalizing them for the actions of their parents. So what do you say to those who are troubled by the contrast? They see a child in custody, American kids don't endure that?
Gregory Bovino (23:42):
Well, I don't think there's a contrast and the child could be without his parents somewhere, perhaps in social services care somewhere. And that's what we see oftentimes by children that are trafficked across the border. It's heartbreaking. They're not with any family. They're with social services or Office of Refugee Resettlement. So the child is in the least restrictive setting with a family member. I don't think it gets any better than that. And as far as the care, the best care that I've seen is ICE, US Border Patrol, and the way we treat those illegal aliens that come across the border.
Maggie Vespa (24:21):
Can you give any details as to what that facility is like? What's the kid's life's life?
Gregory Bovino (24:26):
So I'll let Marcos talk about it. It's an ICE facility and not a Border Patrol facility, sir.
Marcos Charles (24:30):
So our family residential centers, I had the privilege of working in one back in 2015. So I can tell you firsthand they get top-notch care. They have medical care. The food is good. They have learning services, they have church services available, they have recreation, they have special caregivers to see to the needs of the children and the mothers or families that are there. Honestly, it's better than social services. So I mean, if we sent the kid to DSS, it'd be way, way worse off than being there with their parents in an FRC.
Maggie Vespa (25:10):
All right. Appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
That's all the questions. Thank you, guys.