MIAMI — A Cuban illegal alien who has evaded a federal removal order for more than four decades is now in ICE custody after being transferred from the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where he faces pending charges for cocaine possession with intent to sell, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and trespassing.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Miami took custody of Eledoro Valenzuela Rodriguez on March 24, the agency announced. Valenzuela Rodriguez received a final removal order in 1980 — 46 years ago — yet remained in the United States, accumulating a decades-long criminal record that includes convictions and charges for possession of controlled substances, weapon possession, dealing cocaine, marijuana possession, firearm possession by a convicted felon, trespassing and alcohol violations.
“Sanctuary policies protect criminals like Valenzuela Rodriguez and enable them to prey on generations of innocent Americans,” said ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “These policies don’t make communities safer. They make enforcement more difficult and force federal officers into more dangerous - and more public - situations. ICE will continue to enforce the law, regardless of local politics.”
ICE blamed sanctuary jurisdictions in New York and Maryland for releasing Valenzuela Rodriguez from custody multiple times despite his outstanding removal order and growing rap sheet. The agency said lenient sentences from those states allowed the serial offender to continue committing crimes across state lines before he was ultimately arrested in Miami-Dade County.
The case highlights the contrast between Florida’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and the non-cooperation policies maintained by certain jurisdictions in other states. Miami-Dade County ended its sanctuary policies in 2017 and has since worked directly with ICE on detainer requests, a posture that enabled the March 24 transfer.
Valenzuela Rodriguez remains in ICE custody on the pending Miami-Dade charges. The agency has not announced a timeline for removal proceedings but noted that his 1980 final removal order remains in effect.