An illegal immigrant who had been deported 11 times in the last 13 years has been accused of attacking his wife with a chain saw.
Alejandro Alvarez Villegas, 32, attacked his wife at their home in Whittier, California, on Wednesday. He then fled in a stolen car.
Despite her injuries, Alvarez Villegas’s wife was transported to a local trauma center and is expected to survive after undergoing emergency surgery.
Police arrested Alvarez Villegas on Thursday in suburban San Diego, about two hours to the southwest. He has since been charged with attempted murder, child endangerment, hit and run, and grand theft auto.
Because Alvarez Villegas had been deported 11 times and has a long criminal history, Immigration and Customs Enforcement have lodged a detainer against him–asking local authorities to notify them before releasing him.
“Department of Homeland Security databases indicate Mr. Alvarez-Villegas is a serial immigration violator who has been removed from the United States 11 times since 2005,” said ICE spokeswoman Lori Haley.
It’s unclear whether California, a self-declared “sanctuary state,” will cooperate with local authorities… or if it will eventually release Alvarez Villegas back into society.
