Arrest by Granite Shoals police sparks fears of ICE activity

An arrest outside of a Granite Shoals grocery store Jan. 28 led to murmurings of a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents due to its “significant police presence.” The incident, however, was part of an ongoing criminal investigation by the Granite Shoals Police Department, which quickly put out a statement to dispel the rumors.

While the arrest was not initiated by ICE, many people in the Highland Lakes community are on edge due to recent state and federal policies on illegal immigration and enforcement.

At around 7 a.m. Jan. 28, Granite Shoals police arrested 37-year-old Heric Alvarado-Gonzalez outside of Granite Shoals Supermarket, 7911 RR 1431. According to a GSPD media release, Alvarado-Gonzalez was already a suspect in an investigation. He was booked on charges of manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance and the unlicensed carrying of a weapon later that day. 

“Officers conducted a traffic stop in the parking lot of (Granite Shoals Supermarket), which resulted in the arrest of an individual,” reads the GSPD release. “A significant police presence was observed due to an ongoing investigation that led to charges related to narcotics and illegal weapon offenses.”

Alvarado-Gonzalez reportedly illegally entered the United States and, as such, is being held at the Burnet County Jail on a detainer at the request of ICE, which is not uncommon for criminal cases when a suspect without the proper documents is involved. But the U.S. enforcement agency was not involved in the arrest or investigation, according to GSPD.

“To our knowledge, there has been no ICE activity in Granite Shoals today (Jan. 28),” continues the media release. “However, it is important to note that the police department may not always receive prior notification of operations conducted by federal, state, or other local agencies in the area.”

Community concerns

According to Granite Shoals Police Chief John Ortis, the driving factors behind the department’s statement after the arrest were social media rumors and concerns from residents about ICE activity in the city.

“We just wanted to stop the rumors,” Ortis told DailyTrib.com. “We’ve been approached by residents (asking about ICE’s involvement in the arrest). We have a very large Hispanic community, and that is not what is going on.”

The GSPD’s statement, which was posted on its Facebook page the day of the arrest, had been reshared at least 57 times as of the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 4. 

One Granite Shoals resident, Cassandra Flores Lozano, spoke with DailyTrib.com about her concerns regarding the incident and the recent push for immigration enforcement from federal and state governments.

“My son is in high school. He has a lot of friends that are immigrants and their parents are immigrants,” she said. “He told me, ‘Mom, my friends told me that his parents finally had a talk about what would happen if they got deported.’ That really gets to me. I feel like no child should even have to think about things like that.”

Flores Lozano is a food service worker at Marble Falls Middle School with three children enrolled in the Marble Falls Independent School District. While she and her children were born and raised in Central Texas, having spent most of their lives in Granite Shoals, she is worried about Highland Lakes residents who are not in the country legally.

Burnet County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Mike Sorenson explained to DailyTrib.com that little had changed at the county law enforcement level despite federal and state actions.

“Nothing has changed on our end,” he said. “We’re not driving around looking for anybody. If people commit a criminal offence, we’ll handle that accordingly, but we have heard nothing from the state level (about additional illegal immigration enforcement).”

He also explained that a person without the proper documents to be in the United States would likely not be treated any differently than a citizen for minor infractions, such as speeding tickets. But, like in the case of Alvarado-Gonzalez, ICE would likely be notified if that person were taken to jail, a practice that has been in place since before recent government policies.

The manager of Granite Shoals Supermarket, Assaf Mahmoud, told DailyTrib.com he looked into rumors of an ICE raid after the Jan. 28 arrest in front of the store.

“I was here, I checked the cameras, I saw that it was the police,” he said. “It had nothing to do with ICE.”

He did note that he had seen a difference in business since recent state and federal announcements regarding illegal immigration enforcement.

“A number of our daily customers stopped coming in, about a third,” he said. “Less traffic, less sales, less gas. We are in a small town, and word spread right away.”

dakota@thepicayune.com