Wilson Rodriguez, 32, called Tukwila police Thursday morning because someone was attempting to break into his house, according to a friend of Rodriguez, who requested not to be named.
When police arrived, they ran Rodriguez's name through the NCIC database and discovered he had a warrant issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Police confirmed it was a valid warrant, and Rodriguez was transferred to ICE officials.
"I know he has a failure to appear in court, and I know that he has the 30-day visa violation, both of those are from 10 years ago when he first came to the country," said Rodriguez's friend. "What is upsetting to me is that Wilson called for help cause someone was breaking into this house, and he ends up being arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs."
Rodriguez has three young children and a wife. His friend says Rodriguez came from Honduras.
"He and I made a number of attempts to sort out his immigration issues, but we were getting mixed advice," he said. "It is just a shame that this is happening."
Tukwila Police Officer Victor Masters issued this statement:
We do not inquire about the nationality or immigration status of suspects, victims, witnesses or others. In the incident that you inquired about, officers did a routine database check of names of the involved parties which is standard procedure when we investigate any potential crime or incident. One of the involved parties was found to have a warrant that had been entered into the NCIC database which was issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As with any warrant, we confirmed that the warrant was valid with the issuing authority. Once it was confirmed, that individual was transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Had there been no warrant, we would not have been aware of this individual's nationality or immigration status.
We respond to all crimes the same regardless of the reporting party's nationality or immigration status. We are not aware of their status at any time unless they specifically mention it to us on their own or as in this case, they have a warrant issued by a federal immigration authority which has been entered into the NCIC database
