Former DACA Recipient Faces Deportation After String of Violent Crimes and Attempted Escapes

Federal immigration officials arrested a Mexican national in Chicago this week whose case perfectly illustrates why DACA was never the simple humanitarian issue the left claimed it to be.

Alan Eduardo Garcia, a 31-year-old former DACA recipient, was taken into custody Wednesday after a dramatic confrontation that left two ICE officers injured. His arrest came as part of Operation Midway Blitz, and it represents exactly the kind of enforcement action that should have happened years ago.

Let us examine the facts. Garcia’s criminal record reads like a prosecutor’s nightmare: felony strangulation, domestic battery, disorderly conduct, battery causing bodily injury, aggravated battery against a handicapped or pregnant woman, and unlawful use of a firearm. This is not someone who made a minor mistake. This is a pattern of violent behavior that endangered innocent Americans.

The DACA program, we were told repeatedly, was designed to protect children brought here through no fault of their own who were productive members of society. Garcia’s DACA status was rightfully denied in 2019 during President Trump’s first administration, presumably because his criminal conduct made clear he was not the sympathetic figure DACA advocates claimed to be protecting.

ICE officers first attempted to arrest Garcia on October 8 during a traffic stop. Rather than comply with law enforcement, he allegedly fled, ramming a government vehicle and reaching speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. This was not the action of someone with nothing to hide.

Wednesday’s arrest proved even more dangerous. After Garcia left his apartment and entered his vehicle, officers moved to apprehend him. He again rammed officers’ vehicles and sped away before abandoning his car and barricading himself inside his apartment. When officers entered, they found him attempting to jump from a third-floor balcony. ICE officials noted they likely saved his life by preventing the jump.

Even during the arrest, Garcia allegedly struck officers before being handcuffed. Two officers required treatment at an urgent care center for injuries sustained during the operation. These are the risks that federal law enforcement officers face daily while enforcing laws that exist for good reason.

ICE Chicago Field Office Director Sam Olson appropriately commended his officers’ professionalism and courage. “This incident highlights the risks our officers face daily in carrying out their duties to protect our communities,” Olson stated.

Here is what the mainstream media will not tell you: this case demonstrates why immigration enforcement matters. Garcia was not detained because of his immigration status alone. He was detained because he is a violent criminal who has repeatedly demonstrated contempt for American law and the safety of American citizens.

The left would have you believe that any immigration enforcement is cruel and unnecessary. They ignore cases like Garcia’s because they undermine the narrative that illegal immigrants are uniformly sympathetic figures being persecuted by an unjust system.

The reality is far different. Immigration law exists to protect American citizens and legal residents. When someone enters illegally, accumulates a lengthy criminal record including violent offenses, and then repeatedly attempts to evade arrest while endangering law enforcement officers, that person has forfeited any claim to remain in this country.

Garcia now remains in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings. That is precisely where he belongs, and it is where he should have been long before his criminal record grew to such alarming proportions.