5 men from Mexico in U.S. illegally arrested in Fellsmere

Laurie K. Blandford , laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com Published 6:17 p.m. ET May 16, 2017 | Updated 49 minutes ago


(Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO FROM FELLSMERE POLICE DEPARTMENT)


FELLSMERE — Five men from Mexico who were in the United States illegally were arrested Tuesday morning in Fellsmere, said police Chief Keith Touchberry.

Efraen Bautista-Perez, 43, Nicholas Gomez-Sanchez, 47, and Martin Salas-Hernandez, 50, were arrested at a North Pine Street home, Touchberry said. Ciro Deliz-Vasquez, 54, and Luis Patricio-Rosales, 34, were arrested at a North Orange Street home.

Two U.S. Border Patrol agents and four Fellsmere police officers went to the two homes about 6 a.m. Tuesday and took the five men into custody, Touchberry said. The federal agents took the men to Orlando, where they will be processed for removal from the United States.

“This is more about eradicating crime problems than anything else,” Touchberry said.

Because of constant and ongoing issues at both homes, Fellsmere police officials requested the help of Border Patrol, Touchberry said.

From May 14, 2016, through May 14 this year, officers responded to 17 calls for service at the Pine Street home and 42 calls at the Orange Street home.

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These calls led officers to believe both homes may have been converted illegally into rooming homes in violation of city code, housed people in the United States illegally and served as a location for prostitution and other crimes, Touchberry said.

Possible health and fire code violations also are being investigated.

“We have a prostitution problem in our community,” Touchberry said.

It’s unknown whether the five men participated in any of the illegal activity suspected at the homes, he said, but all of them were found to be in the country illegally and were detained.

Patricio-Rosales already had an outstanding “order of removal” on file by an immigration judge and required no hearing prior to removal, Touchberry said. Patricio-Rosales was taken into custody when he drove to the Orange Street home to pick up a resident for work.

Touchberry said these types of arrests are now routine under President Donald Trump’s current executive order regarding immigration.

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