Jose Luis Torres-Pais-Paez |
Two illegal aliens suspected of kidnapping a 4-year-old boy and holding him for ransom in the U.S. have been arrested by immigration authorities, ICE announced today.
Marcelino Ramirez-Velasquez, 34, of Guatemala, and Jose Luis Torres-Pais-Paez, 25, of Mexico are being charged with kidnapping and extortion, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
The boy's mother, Marleni Garcia-Velasquez, also an illegal alien, had hired smugglers to bring her son into the United States from Guatemala four months ago. The men picked the boy up at his uncle's house and brought him to a hotel in Mesa, Ariz., where they demanded $3,000. If his mother refused to pay, they said they would harm him.
Garcia-Velasquez notified West Palm Beach police on Oct. 21. Armando Garcia, assistant special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Phoenix, told the Sun-Sentinel the boy is in good health. He has been put in foster care pending DNA test results to verify he is Garcia-Velasquez' son. Garcia said if tests show the woman is his mother, they will be reunited in a week.
Marcelino Ramirez-Velasquez |
This is not Ramirez-Velasquez' first violation. He was deported in 2004 for human smuggling, the Palm Beach Post revealed. He was arrested again in 2007 by New Mexico State Police for transporting 15 illegal aliens from Mexico and Guatemala into the U.S.
According to the report, his criminal complaint stated, "Ramirez was going to transport the aliens to Amarillo, Texas and other destinations on the east coast of the United States to look for work."
The suspected kidnappers were indicted by a Maricopa County, Ariz., grand jury on Oct. 31.
ICE agents also detained Garcia-Velasquez for violating immigration law. She has been released with an order to appear before an immigration judge.