A man who has been missing since being released from jail on band is now on a most wanted list, according to Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse.
In a statement Wednesday, Sasse said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement added 19-year-old Eswin Mejia to its Most Wanted list.
Mejia is accused of driving drunk and crashing his truck into a car driven by 21-year-old Sarah Root, killing her.
Prosecutors have said his blood alcohol content was three times over the legal limit.
SEE ALSO: Prosecutor: Man charged with deadly crash had 0.241 BAC
Sasse says Mejia’s addition on the list should not have been needed.
“ICE originally said that Mr. Mejia was not an ‘enforcement priority’ but this morning he was placed on the Most Wanted list. The public still does not have a complete account of what went wrong. It is well past time for ICE to make all the facts known so this never happens again,” Sasse said.
KMTV has reached out the ICE for confirmation and a statement. A spokesperson issued the following comments:
"All decisions made by ICE officers - regarding apprehension, detention, bond or release - are made on a case-by-case basis. Based on the totality of circumstances involved in Mr. Mejia's case when he was arrested in Omaha in January 2016, ICE officers decided not to issue a detainer at the time. However, the Secretary's guidance on detainers and immigration enforcement priorities provides ICE with flexibility in its immigration enforcement activities, including for cases where a senior field manager determines that the removal of an alien, who does not fit within an enumerated priority category, would serve an important federal interest. Further review of the case may have resulted in the conclusion that, because of the seriousness of the vehicle crash, Mr. Mejia's case rose to the level of an important federal interest. Senior ICE officials at headquarters have brought this matter to the attention of all field leadership to reaffirm that appropriate consideration must be given to all cases which may meet an important federal interest."
ICE Director Sarah Saldaña added, "ICE is working with law enforcement authorities in Nebraska and Honduras to locate and arrest Mejia. ICE will work tirelessly to ensure justice is done in this matter."
Sasse says the description below was released by ICE Wednesday morning:
"Subject is a 19-year old citizen of Honduras, an at-large illegal alien, currently wanted for motor vehicle homicide. In 2016, Mejia was arrested for felony driving under the influence of liquor, after he struck a vehicle that allegedly caused the death of a young woman. He unlawfully entered the U.S. in 2013 and despite numerous attempts by ICE to locate his whereabouts, he currently remains at-large.
Name: Edwin Mejia
Alias: Eswin Mejia
Date of Birth: June 3, 1996
Place of Birth: Honduras
Skin Tone: Medium
Height: 5’05”
Weight: 150 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Gender: Male
Scars/Marks: Unknown
Last Known Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Occupation: UnknownICE continues to work with the Omaha Metro Fugitive Task Force to locate and apprehend Mr. Mejia. The ICE Most Wanted list can be found at www.ice.gov."
On Feb. 11, the Omaha Police Department announced a warrant was issued for Mejia's arrest after he failed to participate in a court-ordered monitoring program.
Previous coverage:
ICE under fire from Sen. Sasse, Sarah Root's mother frustrated
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley joins Nebraska Senator questioning ICE enforcement
