An illegal immigrant in New Jersey who has been deported twice, was arrested Sunday on rape, kidnapping and murder charges, NJ.com reported Wednesday. Jorge Alberto Rios-Doblado is from Honduras and “has been removed from the country on two prior occasions, in 2003 and 2004,” according to Newark’s ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operation (ICE-ERO).
The 33-year-old kidnapped, raped and murdered 45-year-old nanny Carolina Cano while she was out for a jog in Jersey City on March 24. Her body was found strangled and submerged in a lake at Lincoln Park.
A law enforcement source said Rios was spotted on surveillance video in the area where police believe she was murdered. Cano was from Peru and apparently did not know her assailant.
An ICE-ERO spokesman said “ICE maintains that cooperation by local law enforcement is an indispensable component of promoting public safety. ICE will seek taking custody of Rios at the conclusion of his criminal proceedings, despite limited cooperation in the state.”
If Rios is convicted of the charges against him, he will have to serve his prison term first before a possible third deportation. The charge of murder carries a possible sentence of 30 years to life in prison upon conviction.
Rios, formerly of Belmont Avenue in Jersey City, was arrested in a Jersey City restaurant on Sunday and is being housed at the Hudson County jail in Kearny. The state has filed a motion to detain him through the course of his prosecution.
A spokesman for ICE-ERO told reporters that Rios had been removed from the United States in the past due to immigration violations. Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said Tuesday night he has no previous criminal record.
In February of 2017, in reaction to President Trump’s travel ban and crackdown on illegal immigrants, Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City signed an executive order declaring Jersey City a sanctuary city.
The measure, called the “fair and welcoming Jersey City resolution,” sought to create a municipal ID program, “establishing a policy requiring the city to report how many times it is asked to participate in immigration enforcement operations and more,” NJ.com reported at the time.
The Jersey City Council unanimously approved the mayor’s sanctuary city order and crowed that the action would “send a resounding message” to President Trump.
Choking back tears and quoting from the Bible, Lavarro said he is angry about Trump’s recent actions targeting illegal immigrants and refugees.
“It makes me angry … to know that this administration, the kind of fear it’s stoked in immigrant communities,” Lavarro said.
Dozens of activists who had come to the City Council meeting to pressure members to vote in favor of the measure, gave them a standing ovation and chanted, “no ban, no wall, sanctuary for all,” following the vote.
“It’s really encouraging to see such a united, diverse group of Jersey City residents who echo the values that our entire city has,” said Councilwoman Candice Osborne. “I’m proud of all of you.”
A Jersey City Councilman who enthusiastically supported the sanctuary city order when it came before the council, changed his tune after the Lincoln Park murder, telling NJ.com Wednesday that the U.S. needs to “close the border.”
Rich Boggiano, a Democrat, said: “How long are we going to tolerate people’s children being murdered? I have nothing against people coming to this country … If you’re a convicted criminal or deported you should not be able to get back in the country.”
A spokeswoman for Mayor Fulop declined NJ.com’s request for comment. The paper’s request for comment from Council President Rolando Lavarro, who shed tears the night the sanctuary city order was passed, was not returned.