ICE officials say the killing of 15‑year‑old Amber Paris was “entirely preventable,” blaming Charlotte’s sanctuary policies for allowing repeat‑offender illegal alien Julio Cesar Xocop‑Vicente to walk free on bond after he allegedly sped through a neighborhood, ran a stop sign, struck the teen, and fled the scene. Charlotte officials rushed the criminal alien out of the jail before an immigration detainer could be issued by ICE enforcement officers. ICE Fugitive Operations arrested the Guatemalan national on January 12.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials revealed to Breitbart Texas that an ICE Fugitive Operations team hunted down and arrested Xocop‑Vicente on Monday for immigration charges after Charlotte officials allowed him to be released from jail after he allegedly struck and killed the North Carolina teen in a hit-and-run crash. He will remain in ICE custody, pending removal proceedings, officials stated.
In a statement sent to Breitbart Texas, ICE Director Todd Lyons said, “My heart is with Amber’s family — and although nothing can ease the pain of losing a child, ICE will continue arresting and removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from North Carolina and across the country.”
“Sanctuary policies have real consequences, and this is one of them. It’s heartbreaking, but this tragedy was preventable,” Lyons continued. “ICE isn’t waiting for another tragedy to take action; we are out on the streets every day to arrest and remove public safety threats so this doesn’t happen to another child.”
On November 25, police say that Zocop-Vicente ran a stop sign while speeding through a neighborhood, striking 15-year-old Amber Paris. The Guatemalan illegal alien fled the scene on foot but was arrested by local police the following day on charges of driving without a license, reckless driving, and felony hit-and-run, ICE officials reported. “The soft-on-crime and pro-illegal criminal illegal alien policies of Charlotte, North Carolina, mayor Vi Lyles and other politicians allowed him walk free on bond before ICE could file an immigration detainer,” officials told Breitbart.
As Amber fought for her life, local authorities dismissed the driving without a license charge on December 2.
“This is also the second time that Mayor Lyles’ Charlotte has allowed this criminal illegal alien to walk free and avoid deportation after an arrest,” ICE officials stated. “He was convicted in 2023 for driving under the influence and driving without a license and had a criminal record that includes a previous arrest for assault on a female.”
Without cooperation from Charlotte law enforcement, an ICE Fugitive Operations team tracked him down and place him back in custody on January 12. This arrest happened during a targeted enforcement operation.
ICE officials added:
This is also the second time that Mayor Lyles’ Charlotte has allowed this criminal illegal alien to walk free and avoid deportation after an arrest. He was convicted in 2023 for driving under the influence and driving without a license and had a criminal record that includes a previous arrest for assault on a female.
Xocop-Vicente is the most recent arrest made under ICE’s Operation Charlotte’s Web, which launched on November 15, 2025, to help arrest and remove the “worst of the worst” criminal aliens released onto U.S. communities by the city’s sanctuary policies. Since that time, ICE officers and other Department of Homeland Security law enforcement teams rounded up and arrested more than 1,300 criminal aliens.
Included in these arrests are:
- Armando Hernandez Martinez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico who was convicted for homicide and cruelty towards a child.
- Diego Murillo-Perez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico who was convicted multiple times for lewd and lascivious acts with a minor.
- Jose Guadalupe Lopez Rodriguez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, who was convicted of attempted first degree sexual offense with a child.
- Ruben Barra-Martinez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, who was convicted of burglary, stealing a vehicle, robbery, and multiple felony illegal reentries into the United States after he was deported.
- Kadlis Sivananthan, a criminal illegal alien from Sri Lanka and former member 18th street gang, who was convicted on multiple felony larceny charges, possessing narcotics, and was arrested for drug possession.
Worst-of-the-Worst, Says ICE arrested in Operation Charlotte’s Web (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Federal officials say Xocop‑Vicente’s case is just one example of a broader pattern in Charlotte, where sanctuary policies have repeatedly allowed violent offenders to avoid deportation. As Operation Charlotte’s Web expands, ICE says it will continue removing criminal aliens who, in their view, should never have been released into North Carolina neighborhoods in the first place.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
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