NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – On Friday afternoon, a man was apprehended on New Smyrna Beach after authorities discovered an active immigration detainer during a patrol stop related to an open container violation.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office reported that 47-year-old Azael Martinez Sanchez was initially engaged by deputies for possessing an open beer can, an action not allowed on the beach.
During questioning, deputies say Sanchez disclosed that he arrived in the U.S. in 2023 by plane from Cuba.
Body-worn camera footage released by the sheriff’s office shows deputies handcuffing Sanchez and informing him of the federal detainer.
In a video, a deputy is heard informing, “Unfortunately, I’ve got to take you to the branch jail. I need you to turn around and put your hands behind your back.”
The sheriff’s office said that deputies contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which confirmed Sanchez had a federal immigration warrant. Deputies then took him into custody.
In a February post, the sheriff’s office stated that it has “proactively notified ICE when we identify a criminal we believe is in this country illegally,” adding that local law enforcement was not previously authorized to play a direct role in immigration enforcement.
Thomas Fronda, a resident who lives near the address Sanchez told deputies he lives, said that he immigrated legally from the Philippines decades ago. He said he supports legal immigration, but believes there must be consequences for entering the country illegally.
“I don’t have anything against immigrants. Just go through the process. I went through it,” Fronda said. “For you to stay here and not go through the process, for me, it’s unfair.”
“It’s their relatives or whatever the case may be,” he added. “If they illegally entered America, they are illegal. That’s a crime.”
As of Monday, Sanchez remains in custody.
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