Federal immigration agents in Pennsylvania have arrested a grandfather who assisted police in investigating his daughter's killing, despite his cooperation with law enforcement. Erasmo Zavala Almanza, a Mexican national living in Temple, was taken into custody last month and is now held at a detention facility in Clearfield County, facing possible deportation to Mexico.
The case dates back to last February, when Almanza's 20-year-old daughter, Selena Zavala Hernandez, was fatally shot and her newborn daughter, Selene, was seriously wounded. The gunman, Jesus Peñaloza Cruz, the child's father, then took his own life. The infant survived after emergency surgery and months of hospital care, during which Almanza and his wife obtained legal guardianship.
Almanza cooperated fully with the homicide investigation, prompting the Berks County District Attorney's Office to sign off on U visa applications for him and his wife. The U visa scheme offers a path to legal residency for undocumented immigrants who assist law enforcement. However, three months after applying, ICE agents arrived at his home and arrested him. Court records show Almanza had entered the US illegally in 2004 and was granted voluntary departure in 2010, but he overstayed and later re-entered.
His arrest reflects a shift in ICE policy under President Donald Trump, which rolled back prior guidance discouraging the detention of crime victims or witnesses. Critics argue the change could deter immigrants from cooperating with police. Almanza's attorney, Bridget Cambria, said: "It's absolutely atrocious. An immigrant has no incentive to cooperate if they're going to go to your house after you file [for a visa] and pick you up." Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have accused the administration of deporting witnesses and victims, while the Trump administration maintains it is enforcing existing law.
