A lieutenant of the Firefighters from Puerto Rico were arrested this Thursday by the US authorities on the island for allegedly entering the territory without documents, confirmed the report. to Efe a source from a local federal agency.
As explained by Efe Alek Pacheco, interim spokesman for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI, in English) in San Juan, the detained official was identified as Pedro Rodríguez Garnier, lieutenant of the Cabo Rojo Fire Department (southwest).
Rodríguez was detained this Thursday morning by Mayagüez HSI agents at his residence in Cabo Rojo, where he housed and gave food to undocumented immigrants, he indicated. Pacheco.
Rodríguez faces charges for transporting unauthorized persons to enter the United States or any territory of the country and for hiding illegals in his residence until they paid a reward for his freedom.
“A Once these people arrived on the coast illegally, Rodríguez would pick them up, take them home and ask their relatives for money to free them,” he explained. Pacheco.
The fire lieutenant charged between 400 and 500 dollars to the relatives of whom he collected and hid in his residence.
Pacheco refused. Mention how many people did you get? What did Rodríguez hide and how much did he get? to charge for all of them.
The investigation against Rodríguez began on August 1, 2019, he mentioned Pacheco. After his arrest, he was taken to appear before Magistrate Giselle López Soler at the Federal Court in San Juan for arraignment. After the hearing, bail was set at $5,000, which he posted.
However, the judge put Rodríguez in an electronic shackle to be monitored by the authorities, the revocation of his US passport and a home curfew between seven at night and seven in the morning.
Pacheco, on the other hand, lamented This event occurred after a ship loaded with undocumented immigrants capsized west of Puerto Rico on May 12, leaving a ship in the water. a balance of 11 women dead and the rescue of another 38.
The boat came, as usual in that area, from the Dominican Republic, but most of the migrants in this time they were of Haitian nationality.
“In Puerto Rico, due to the social and political situation in Haiti, we have seen an increase in these adventures by Dominican and Haitian citizens who try to enter the country illegally,” Pacheco said.
For his part, the appointed commissioner of the Bureau of the Fire Department of Puerto Rico, Marcos Concepción, stated in a press release that after learning of Rodríguez’s arrest, “immediately” ; he ordered “His summary suspension,” according to the agency.
“These are very serious accusations, and as commissioner of the Bureau of the Fire Department, I repudiate any illegal act, regardless of wherever it comes from,” he stated.
Finally, the president of the United Firefighters Union of Puerto Rico, José Pulled, described as “unfortunate” Rodríguez’s arrest.
“This case is isolated. Although he is assisted by the presumption of innocence, if his guilt is proven, this case does not represent the members of the Puerto Rico Fire Department, public servants 100% committed to saving lives,” he pointed out.