LOS ANGELES — The Post reports that a Mexican migrant who has been deported from the United States four times faces serious charges after allegedly running an 11‑year‑old to death in a hit‑and‑run near San Diego on Thanksgiving Day.
The man, Hector Balderas‑Aheelor, is set to be returned to Mexico. “Nothing prohibits the federal government from doing its job in this case,” a spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office told the paper.
Aiden Antonio Torres De Paz was out on a quiet residential street in Escondido, California, on Nov. 26, chasing a soccer ball with friends when he was struck by Balderas‑Aheelor’s vehicle. The driver fled the scene, according to an early NBC 7 report. María de Paz, the boy’s mother, ran out as soon as she heard the crash and found her son unconscious with severe injuries.
“He was a really friendly and loved kid,” she said in Spanish to the NBC affiliate, adding that “He didn’t deserve this.” Finally, the boy succumbed to his wounds at Rady Children’s Hospital on the morning of Thanksgiving, and a vigil was held at the location of the crash last Friday.
A neighbor, Irene Gonzalez, described the family’s grief: “We’re not celebrating Thanksgiving like we should be, like a typical family should be right now.” She continued, “It’s hard to give thanks. We do give thanks that Aiden is no longer in pain — seeing him, laying there in the bed suffering — so we do give thanks that he is up above with our heavenly father.”
The speed limit on East Washington Avenue, where the incident occurred, is 35 mph. Authorities have no record of Balderas‑Aheelor’s prior criminal activity, but they arrested him on Nov. 29 and charged him with a felony hit‑and‑run causing death or injury. He is being held on a $100,000 bond at the Rock Mountain Detention Facility in San Diego.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued an arrest detainer for Balderas‑Aheelor, though California’s sanctuary laws may complicate enforcement. The state introduced a 2016 law during President Trump’s administration that shields certain immigrant residents from federal removal actions, limiting cooperation between local police and ICE.
DHS officials list four previous deportations for Balderas‑Aheelor: March 19, 2004; June 10, 2004; June 15, 2004; and March 4, 2010. A mugshot from his last detention is part of a public release.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said: “Sanctuary laws threaten to put this killer back onto California’s streets.” She added, “Thanksgiving should be a day of celebrating family and giving gratitude, but instead the family of Aiden Antonio Torres De Paz mourned this beautiful child’s death because a criminal illegal alien stole his life. Now, sanctuary laws threaten to put this killer back onto California’s streets.” And she urged Gov. Newsom to honor ICE’s detainer: “Hector Balderas‑Aheelor was previously removed FOUR times before he chose to commit a felony and illegally re‑enter the country a fifth time. Gavin Newsom, we are calling on YOU to do the right thing and honor ICE’s arrest detainer.”
The governor’s representative stated, “Unlawfully returning to the United States after deportation is a federal criminal offense and California honors federal criminal warrants. The federal government admits a failure to apprehend the suspect when he unlawfully entered the US but California law does not prevent them from acting now.”
Balderas‑Aheelor’s arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 3, at North Division Court. Neither the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office nor María de Paz responded to requests for comment.
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