Thursday, Sep. 26, 2024
Was a Wisconsin sexual assault suspect released after previous criminal charges because of sanctuary cities?
There is no evidence sanctuary policies meant to shield people from immigration authorities freed Venezuelan Alejandro Coronel Zarate before he was jailed Sept. 5, 2024, on a sexual assault charge in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R.-Wis., claimed without evidence that Coronel Zarate was “released” because Madison, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis are “sanctuary cities.”
Coronel Zarate was never taken into custody in Madison. He was jailed in Minneapolis, but no charges were filed.
Nov. 16: Coronel Zarate fled before Madison police responded to a battery report.
Nov. 17: Identified as a Madison vehicle theft suspect, Coronel Zarate was arrested in Minneapolis and jailed.
Nov. 20: Coronel Zarate was released after Hennepin County decided not to file charges. “There was no consideration of external policies,” prosecutors told Wisconsin Watch.
Dec. 1: Dane County issued an arrest warrant in the battery, but Coronel Zarate was never taken into custody.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- National Conference of State Legislatures What’s a Sanctuary Policy? FAQ on Federal, State and Local Action on Immigration Enforcement
- WKOW.com Suspected transnational gang member accused of violence toward woman, child in Prairie du Chien
- Wisconsin Circuit Court Access Alejandro Coronel Zarate case
- Rep. Derrick Van Orden Rep. Van Orden Joins The Ingraham Angle on Kamala Harris' Border Crisis Spreading to Wisconsin
- Google Docs Rep. Derrick Van Orden email 9/24/24
- Google Docs Madison police chief email 9/24/24
- Google Docs Minneapolis police email 9/23/24
- Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Alejandro Coronel Zarate jail report
- Facebook Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett post
- Google Docs Hennepin County Attorney's Office email 9/25/24
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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