(NewsNation) — A Mexican national, whom Homeland Security officials say was twice deported and was accused of killing a police officer in his home country, was arrested this month in New Haven, Conn., which has a sanctuary city ordinance in place.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the arrest of Orlando Diaz-Cebada on Tuesday, 12 days after he was taken into custody by federal agents. Mexican authorities say that Diaz-Cebeda is known by the nickname “El Leches” and is a member of the Los Ponchos gang, which officials say is known to traffic drugs for the Sinaloa cartel.
DHS officials said Diaz-Cebeda has entered the United States illegally three times and re-entered the U.S. after twice being deported over two days in 2024. However, he was able to enter the country at an unknown location without being inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration officer, DHS said.
Mexican authorities issued an arrest warrant for Diaz-Cebada in April 2024 for aggravated homicide. According to the arrest warrant, Diaz-Cebada was responsible for a beating that resulted in the murder of a government official.
Diaz-Cebeda was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on June 12 in New Haven and remains in ICE custody and faces a removal hearing. No details of his arrest were provided.
“This heinous murderer attempted to evade justice by hiding out in Connecticut,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “These are the types of barbaric criminal illegal aliens our brave ICE law enforcement risks their lives every day to arrest. America is no longer a safe haven for violent criminals.”
New Haven’s sanctuary status
In May, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker told reporters that the city is proud of its sanctuary city status, following its inclusion in a list of cities with sanctuary policies in place by the federal government. New Haven was one of six Connecticut cities listed among 500 that DHS named. The state of Connecticut is also considered a sanctuary state under its existing Trust Act.
A spokesperson for Elicker told NewsNation on Tuesday that the city did not receive an alert that DHS officers had arrested Diaz-Cebada had been arrested in New Haven. He said that to date, ICE immigration enforcement actions have been limited, although there was an incident earlier this month in which a mother was arrested by federal officers while taking her two children to school.
Elicker responded by calling ICE’s actions “appalling and inhumane.”
Sanctuary cities do not have a designated legal definition, but in most cases, do not allow local law enforcement to cooperate with federal officials in immigration enforcement. However, when DHS released the list, the agency said that sanctuary cities “are deliberately and shamefully obstructing” the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American communities.
“Sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminals from facing consequences and put law enforcement in peril,” the agency said.
In 2020, Elicker signed an executive order that prevents city employees from asking about a person’s immigration status and prevents the city from allocating funding to assist with immigration enforcement, according to WSHU.
Elicker said in a statement to NewsNation that New Haven is a welcoming city for all, including its hard-working neighbors. But he said that the city has “zero tolerance” for anyone who commits an act of violence. He added that New Haven police will arrest anyone with an arrest warrant, accusing them of a violent crime and that such people – documented or undocumented – would be held accountable.
But the mayor argued that there is no connection between the city’s sanctuary status and violent crime. He said violent crime has dropped by 57% over the past five years and that ensuring all residents feel comfortable makes the city safer and encourages residents to report crimes to the police.
“It’s one thing to apprehend an individual accused of a violent crime, as appears to be the case in this situation (involving Diaz-Cebada) – everyone supports that,” Elicker told NewsNation. “But all too often the Trump Administration has employed a reckless, lawless and inhumane approach to immigration enforcement and we will continue to stand up for our residents and our values of being a welcome city for our immigrant families.”
The Connecticut Trust Act
Connecticut’s Trust Act, which prevents law enforcement from assisting with immigration enforcement, was passed in 2013 and later updated in 2019. The law prevents Connecticut law enforcement officers from arresting someone solely based on a federal detainer, The CT Mirror reported.
Local law enforcement can only cooperate with federal immigration officers if ICE presents them with a judicial warrant, if the person is on a terrorist watch list, or if the person has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to crimes like murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, robbery or first-degree manslaughter.
Republicans in the state are seeking changes to the law that is designed to better protect the state’s residents. The proposal would add Class C felonies to the list of crimes that are covered under the Trust Act as well as instances where the person was accused of a state crime.
Connecticut’s Attorney General, William Tong, and Gov. Ned Lamont have said that President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the state had “self-identified” as a sanctuary state is not true.
“There is nothing in our laws or statutes that says Connecticut is a ‘sanctuary’ state. We are not. That is a meaningless term,” Tong said in a statement issued in May.
In a statement provided to NewsNation on Tuesday, Tong said, “Violent criminals should be arrested, prosecuted, convicted, and if justice demands, deported. Period.”