Immigration police say they’ve detained an undocumented man who was previously convicted of killing a pedestrian with his car just south of Arlington.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said yesterday (Wednesday) that it had detained Alvaro Alejandro Pacheco Ramos, describing him as “an illegally present Salvadoran alien.”
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Pacheco Ramos pleaded guilty last year to involuntary manslaughter on May 22, 2023, after killing a 71-year-old California lady while driving drunk.
The event occurred on the 4800 block of King Street in Alexandria but was under the authority of the Arlington County Police Department.
Pacheco Ramos, a Maryland citizen, was discovered to have a blood alcohol percentage of 0.159, which is far higher than the legal limit of 0.08. He had a green light, but the victim was not in a recognized crossing location.
“Mr. Pacheco Ramos did not see [the victim] walking across the roadway until it was too late,” the statement of facts reads. “He attempted to swerve left into the oncoming traffic lanes to avoid striking her, but his maneuver was unsuccessful.”
Pacheco Ramos acknowledged hitting the woman, who was on vacation with her husband, and threw her into oncoming traffic. He ran over her while coming to a halt, according to court filings.
The victim died in the hospital shortly after the crash.
Investigators show Pacheco Ramos presenting his passport as identification.
Just a few months before the incident, in December 2022, the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office stated that it will discontinue voluntary collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In July 2022, the Arlington County Board enacted a policy that limits police cooperation with ICE.
Pacheco Ramos was sentenced to eight months active jail, nine years and four months suspended, and five years probation, according to online court documents.
Since President Donald Trump entered office, ICE has portrayed itself as focusing on undocumented immigrants accused or convicted of severe crimes to deport “the worst of the worst.”
The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, reports that 65% of individuals held by ICE between October 1 and the start of Fiscal Year 2025 had no prior convictions. Only about 7% of ICE book-ins have a prior conviction for violent crimes.
