The officer told Villalobos Pirela he pulled him over for speeding, to which he replied, “Yeah,” according to the report. Seeing Villalobos Pirela’s wife and 1‑year‑old daughter in the back sea, the officer asked Villalobos Pirela to exit the vehicle for further discussion.
“He stated to me that he has been having issues with his wife due to cultural conflicts and knows he should not have been driving at such a high rate of speed,” the officer said in the report.
After conducting a consensual pat-down, the officer arrested Villalobos Pirela for child endangerment. He also cited him for speeding and reckless operation.
He is scheduled to for a Monday morning hearing in Hamilton Municipal Court.
Ignite Peace, which is based out of Cincinnati, says Villalobos Pirela was on his way to his daughter’s first birthday party. It says that when Villalobos Pirela’s older sister and brother-in-law arrived on the scene “they were assured by the responding officer that ICE wouldn’t be involved.”
“An hour after they paid his bond at the Butler County Jail, Alfonso was put on an ICE hold,” the group said. “The asylum-seeking TPS holder now faces losing his immigration status, his family, and his freedom if he’s deported to Venezuela.”
“This is cruel and unusual punishment,” Ignite Peace Program Director Samantha Searls said in a statement. “As a U.S. citizen, if I were pulled over for the same crime, I’d face fines, probation, or maybe community service.
“Even if there was jail time involved, I’d eventually be released back to my family. Deportation is such an extreme punishment for someone who’s never gotten in trouble with the law before.”
Ignite Peace says Villalobos Pirela came to the United States in 2022 after a dangerous journey on foot with his family through the Darién Gap, a stretch of nearly impenetrable rain forest along the border with Colombia.
He went on to graduate with honors from Gilbert A. Dater High School in Cincinnati and received many offers from colleges of science and medicine, according to the group.
He is “beloved by his former teachers and current coworkers” and recently earned a promotion at his job, Ignite Peace said.
“Let him out,” Victor Lobo, Alfonso’s brother-in-law, said in a statement. “He’s a good person who has never done anything wrong.”
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