ICE Issues Detainer for Mexican National Linked to Two Texas Murders

DALLAS — Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer for Luis Benitez-Gonzalez, a Mexican national illegally present in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security announced on May 13 2026.

Benitez-Gonzalez was arrested by Dallas police on April 27 2026 and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He also had a prior arrest for possession of dangerous drugs. DNA evidence connects him to the 2018 murder of Alba Jenisse Aviles in Bastrop County and the 2024 murder of Alyssa Ann Rivera in Austin, per the DHS release.

ICE previously removed him from the country in 2020; he re-entered illegally afterward.

The detainer applies to this single individual now held in Dallas custody. It directs local officials to notify ICE before any release and to maintain custody for up to 48 hours after the conclusion of his criminal case so federal officers can assume custody for removal.

Prior to the detainer, Dallas officials operated under local policies that in some cases limited cooperation with federal immigration requests.

The detainer changes the immediate operational sequence for Benitez-Gonzalez. Instead of potential release from the Dallas jail at the end of his current charges, he will transfer to ICE custody for deportation proceedings once the criminal case resolves.

Dallas officials must now comply with the detainer or face the documented federal request not to release him, per the May 13 statement from Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. This triggers standard ICE removal operations against a person with two pending murder cases and an existing final order of removal.

Downstream, the action requires Dallas authorities to adjust processing for this detainee and any similar high-risk cases. It activates federal removal timelines that follow the resolution of state criminal charges. Bastrop County and Austin police departments gain a direct path to close two homicide cases through federal custody transfer and potential prosecution or deportation.

The detainer also places the U.S. Marshals Service or ICE transportation assets on notice for a future prisoner movement once local proceedings conclude.

This marks the latest documented use of an ICE detainer against an individual with serious criminal charges in a jurisdiction that has previously limited cooperation on immigration enforcement. The DHS release explicitly names the two Texas murder victims and the DNA linkages to underscore the criminal history that prompted the federal request.