PORTLAND, Oregon — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is blaming officials in Oregon for failing to seek extradition for a man wanted on rape and sex abuse charges. The man had been set free but was rearrested by federal immigration authorities after DeSantis intervened.
“Oregon did not want to accept this individual. They weren’t interested in seeking justice apparently on behalf of the victims, potential victims of his crimes,” DeSantis said on March 5.
The case has sparked a firestorm of controversy by touching on several hot button issues including immigration, crime and politics.
The situation first came to light on March 1, when the Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Florida posted on Facebook that Juan Jose-Sebastian was going to be released from jail. The 26-year-old, whose been undocumented since coming to U.S. from Guatemala in 2015, had been arrested for driving without a license in Florida.
Initially, the Martin County Sheriff’s office said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not take custody and Washington County, Oregon will not extradite.
“As a result, the wanted rapist will be released into our community,” warned the sheriff’s office on Facebook on March 1.
One day later, Jose-Sebastian was back in custody after federal immigration authorities learned about the warrant for rape and sex abuse in Oregon.
“We had to really pull teeth to be able to get the federal government to detain an illegal alien who was apprehended in South Florida,” said DeSantis, who explained he personally intervened.
The Washington County District Attorney pushed back Monday — “We first learned of this matter from media reports. We have had no communication with anyone from Florida, including the Florida governor’s office and Florida law enforcement,” said Washington County District Attorney’s Office in a written statement. The D.A.’s office added that on March 6th, it asked Oregon’s Governor for an extradition warrant. A spokesperson for Gov. Tina Kotek said her office granted the extradition warrant within 10 minutes and the extradition process is now underway.
Immigration records show Jose-Sebastian is being held in a federal detention facility in Miami, Florida. It’s not clear when he’ll be transported to Oregon.
The exact nature of the warrant Jose-Sebastian is facing is unclear. The warrant can’t be publicly disclosed until the warrant is served.