Federal agents deport woman after prison release
The Department of Homeland Security says ICE deported Soili Xiomara Aparicio-Santos, a Honduran national, from New York in April after she finished eight years of a state prison sentence tied to the attempted killing of her newborn son on Long Island. DHS said she entered the United States illegally in 2014 under the Obama administration and had a final order of removal that same year. The case drew fresh attention because the removal happened only after her prison term ended, which is a tidy reminder that federal law still depends on someone, somewhere, actually following through.
Conviction followed a 2017 arrest on Long Island
Authorities said Aparicio-Santos was convicted in 2018 of second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree attempted assault, and endangering the welfare of a child. She was originally sentenced to 16 years in prison, but that was later cut to 10 years, and she served eight. According to local reporting cited by DHS, the 41-year-old lived in Centereach, Suffolk County, and police arrested her after a family member saw what was happening and called for help. The child reportedly avoided serious injuries and was placed in foster care, which is the kind of outcome nobody wants, but one that was apparently spared from becoming far worse.
ICE detainers and local cooperation made the removal possible
ICE said it filed one detainer after Aparicio-Santos was first arrested in 2017 and a second while she served her sentence. DHS said Suffolk County officials notified federal agents before her release, allowing ICE to take custody and remove her from the country. Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis praised that cooperation and said DHS needs state and local help to remove criminal illegal immigrants. The agency also argued that partnerships with local law enforcement are a key reason some cities are safer than others, which is a polite way of saying paperwork and politics can either help public safety or bury it in a drawer. DHS added that when local officials block cooperation, officers often have to be more visible to find people released back into communities.
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