Immigration Failures Exposed by Texas Repeat Offender’s Arrest

A convicted murderer who has been deported four times was recently arrested again in Texas, exposing severe flaws in immigration enforcement.

At a Glance

Maribel Martinez Garcia, a Mexican national, was arrested in North Houston, Texas.
Garcia has been deported from the United States four times.
Previously convicted of a 2007 murder in Alabama, Garcia has a history of illegal reentries.
She is now held in a Texas processing center and faces additional charges.

Convicted Murderer Arrested Again

Maribel Martinez Garcia, a 40-year-old Mexican national, was apprehended in North Houston, Texas, on August 29. Garcia, who has been deported from the United States four times, was previously convicted of the 2007 murder of Francisco Ostiquin Cervantes in Birmingham, Alabama. Despite multiple deportations, Garcia continued to reenter the country illegally, underscoring significant weaknesses within the immigration system.

Garcia was found to be using counterfeit social security and lawful permanent resident cards at the time of her arrest. She initially entered the United States illegally on an unidentified date and was first apprehended by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in April 2000. Garcia was deported in August 2000 but returned illegally several times afterward.

NEW: Houston based ICE deportation officers have arrested an illegal alien from Mexico who has been deported from the U.S. four previous times & was convicted of murder in Alabama in 2008. She was last deported in 2010, and re-entered the U.S. as a gotaway at an unknown time. ICE… pic.twitter.com/gYjBoiYtKw

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) August 30, 2024

A History of Illegal Reentries

Garcia’s criminal record is extensive. In 2007, she was arrested for the capital murder of Francisco Ostiquin Cervantes, who was shot during a robbery on New Year’s Eve 2006. Garcia, along with two accomplices, pleaded guilty to reduced charges and received prison sentences. Upon her release, Garcia was deported again in August 2010 but illicitly returned to the U.S. multiple times.

“This arrest is just another example of the critical public safety function that ICE ERO serves in our local communities while enforcing our nation’s immigration laws,” said ERO Houston Field Office Director Bret A. Bradford. “Thanks to hypervigilance and outstanding teamwork between ERO Houston and ERO New Orleans we were able to quickly locate this convicted murderer who has repeatedly violated our nation’s immigration laws and safely take her into custody before she could hurt anyone else.”

Garcia’s repeated illegal entries into the U.S., despite her criminal record and frequent deportations, highlight systemic issues within current immigration enforcement strategies. Her history of recidivism and the ingenuity demonstrated in using fraudulent identification documents signify alarming gaps that need stringent addressal.

America last, thanks to the failed border Czar and her party: Because of the @theDemocrats and @KamalaHarris’ revolving crime policy, Convicted Murderer Deported 4 Times re-Arrested in Texas. https://t.co/atwRR1DtQH

— The Chris Salcedo Show (@CSalcedoShow) September 3, 2024

Moving Forward

Currently held at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, Garcia is referred for prosecution for illegal reentry and may face additional charges. The recent arrest was a collaborative effort by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Houston office and ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New Orleans teams, emphasizing the necessity of coordinated law enforcement efforts in addressing repeat offenders.

“This case demonstrates the impact ERO has on public safety every day, and now this dangerous, repetitive criminal is off our streets,” said ERO New Orleans Field Office Director Mellissa Harper. “ERO will continue to focus on our mission of removing criminal noncitizens from our communities.”

The public is encouraged to report any information regarding criminal noncitizens or immigration violators to ICE through the ICE Tip Line or their online tip form. The recurrent arrest of a convicted murderer raises significant concerns about existing immigration policies and the urgent need for reforms to ensure public safety.

🚨🇺🇸ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED IN TEXAS AFTER FOURTH DEPORTATION, PREVIOUSLY CONVICTED OF MURDER

According to ICE, Maribel Martinez Garcia, a Mexican national, has been arrested in Houston.

Martinez has a previous murder conviction in Alabama and has been deported from the… pic.twitter.com/nqHzMKx6SM

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 2, 2024