Brewster, N.Y. — Federal immigration authorities have lodged an arrest detainer against a Guatemalan national accused of murdering a New York taxi driver, a case that has reignited debate over immigration enforcement and public safety.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed the detainer on Santos Paulino Vasquez-Ramirez, who is charged with homicide and robbery in connection with the death of Aurelio Zhunio-Orbez, a 66-year-old cab driver from Danbury, Connecticut.
Investigators allege that on Dec. 1, following a fare dispute in Brewster, New York, Vasquez-Ramirez strangled Zhunio-Orbez and later disposed of the body in the Croton Falls Reservoir. Authorities say the victim’s body was discovered floating in the reservoir on Dec. 7, prompting a multi-agency investigation involving local law enforcement and state authorities.
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Vasquez-Ramirez was arrested on Dec. 12 by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and charged with murder and robbery. ICE officials subsequently issued an immigration detainer requesting that local authorities transfer custody to federal agents once criminal proceedings allow, ensuring he does not return to the community.
DHS officials state that Vasquez-Ramirez illegally entered the United States in 2013. Records indicate he was later released pending immigration proceedings and was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in early 2016. Despite that order, he remained in the country.
“This individual should never have had the opportunity to commit such a violent act,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, arguing that failures to enforce immigration laws can have fatal consequences. She added that ICE intends to take Vasquez-Ramirez into federal custody following the resolution of his state charges.
The case comes as the Trump administration highlights aggressive immigration enforcement measures. In a recent year-end DHS report, officials claimed that more than 2.5 million unauthorized migrants have left the United States since Donald Trump returned to office, citing a combination of removals and what the department describes as voluntary self-deportations. DHS data says approximately 622,000 migrants were formally removed, while an estimated 1.9 million departed on their own.
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Administration officials argue these figures reflect a significant tightening of border security and interior enforcement. Critics, however, question the methodology behind the numbers and warn against conflating voluntary departures with formal removals, while also raising concerns about due process and humanitarian impacts.
For the family of Aurelio Zhunio-Orbez, the policy debate is secondary to the loss of a husband, father, and longtime taxi driver known in his community for his work ethic and kindness. Residents have held small memorials near the reservoir, remembering a man who spent decades serving passengers across New York and Connecticut.
As the criminal case moves forward in state court, federal officials say the immigration detainer ensures that, if convicted or released from state custody, Vasquez-Ramirez will be transferred directly to ICE to face removal proceedings, underscoring the intersection of criminal justice and immigration enforcement in one of the region’s most tragic recent crimes.
