U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced it lodged a detainer for Aristides Eli Orellana-Ramirez, an illegal alien from El Salvador charged with murdering two teenagers in Charlotte, North Carolina.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ICE lodged an arrest detainer for Orellana-Ramirez, who is accused of murdering Bravlio Galeano Ayala, 16, and Samir Canales Molina, 18. The shooting took place on December 20, 2025. The victims were found more than six miles apart after being shot at the same location. Orellana-Ramirez reportedly entered the U.S. illegally at an unspecified time and place without inspection. This action is part of Operation Charlotte’s Web, aimed at targeting criminal illegal aliens amid sanctuary policies that have hindered nearly 1,400 detainers from being honored in North Carolina.
WRAL reported that sanctuary policies in North Carolina have prevented local officials from honoring nearly 1,400 immigration detainers, resulting in the release of criminal illegal aliens back into communities. In Mecklenburg County alone, over 200 detainers were not honored in 2019. WFAE data indicates that only 12 percent of 447 detainers issued in early 2025 led to transfers to ICE custody.
The Department of Homeland Security said that 70 percent of ICE arrests target criminal illegal aliens with convictions or pending charges. ICE data reveals that in fiscal year 2019, officers arrested individuals with over 1,900 homicide convictions and charges, along with significant numbers for kidnapping and sex offenses. Nationwide, ignored detainers have resulted in the release of deportable criminal aliens, posing risks to public safety.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was established in 2003 through a merger involving elements from the former U.S. Customs Service and Immigration and Naturalization Service. The agency employs over 20,000 personnel across more than 400 offices domestically and internationally and operates with an annual budget nearing $8 billion.
