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The illegal-alien accused in the death of a father of five named Sean Buchanan (shown) in Colorado was a convicted drunk driver and accused of domestic abuse. He was also the recipient of sanctuary from open-borders Unitarians and the subject of a tearful profile on CNN.
And, somewhat ironically, the victim strongly supported “immigrant rights.”
All that aside, yet again, a deportable illegal alien who was not deported killed an American.
Drunk Driver
Police allege that Miguel Ramirez Valiente, a Salvadoran illegal who slipped across the border in 2005, lost control of his truck on Colorado Highway 83. The illegal-alien swerved into Sean Buchanan, 45, and killed him. Buchanan was on his way to Castle Rock from Colorado Springs.
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Police cited the border-jumping Salvadoran with “careless driving resulting in death,” a spokesman for the prosecutor told the Gazette of Colorado Springs. “Investigators do not suspect that drugs, alcohol or excessive speed contributed to the crash,” the newspaper reported.
As is typical with illegal aliens, he was driving without a license.
And he is no stranger to law enforcement. He pleaded guilty to drunk driving in 2017, the newspaper reported, and hadn’t finished his year-long probation for that crime when, police allege, he swerved into Buchanan. “He also has pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment in a child neglect case and was sentenced to a year of probation, court records show,” the newspaper reported. “A domestic violence case was dismissed by prosecutors in 2016.”
ABC affiliate News 7 in Denver reported that the prosecutors also dismissed the reckless endangerment charge.
Poster Boy
Despite that record, as the Daily Caller and other conservative media have observed, CNN, the Gazette, and other media made Valiente the poster boy for “immigrants rights,” a put-upon victim of the evil Trump administration, which wanted to deport him.
And even worse, poor Valiente, whom the media believe was a law student who fled “gang violence” in El Salvador, couldn’t fight the decision because the Trump administration caused the 35-day government shutdown that ended on January 25. That’s why he had to hide in the Unitarian “church.”
His immigration woes began eight years ago. “A traffic stop in 2011 near Castle Rock led to Ramirez Valiente’s first deportation order, after an officer asked about his immigration status,” the newspaper reported. “He was cited for driving without a license and he was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.”
Somehow, he remained in the country, but his tale gets even better:
Deportation proceedings were put on hold in 2015, when a co-worker punched him in the face and beat him over accusations of stolen tools at the job site — allegations that Ramirez Valiente denied.
After his attacker was convicted, Ramirez Valiente applied for a U-visa, which allows victims of felony assaults who assist in prosecutions to remain in the U.S. for up to four years. After three years, applicants can seek permanent residency and a green card. In May 2017, his case was administratively closed, meaning he was no longer facing deportation.
Immigration officials reversed that weeks later, sending Ramirez Valiente a letter notifying him of an upcoming court date.
But Valiente’s lawyer got the letter instead, the newspaper reported, and because “his phone had been shut off,” the lawyer couldn’t tell him about forthcoming court appearances.
That’s preposterous, but in any event, Valiente missed a court date in October for the “first time” in eight years. Immigration officials ordered him to report to them on January 3 for deportation.
So in stepped the Unitarians.
“I have always gone to my court dates, and I only missed this court because I never received notification,” Valiente complained during a press conference at the “church.” “It’s unjust that they are trying to deport me due to a problem with the mail.”
The stars, it seems, were aligned against the Salvadoran dad, a poor stonemason doing a job Americans just won’t do. “I can’t be separated from them,” he wailed. “I have always worked hard to support my family, and they depend on me.”
That’s not what those who know him say.
No Arrest
News 7 offered a more complete picture of the former “law student.” “Those who know Ramirez said his arrest history tells a different story, and they want the Buchanan family to know it,” the station reported.
“This family deserves to know who they’re dealing with,” said a close acquaintance of Ramirez Valiente. “He’s an alcoholic and an abuser.”
“He should have been arrested after the crash,” said the woman who knows him. “He just had a DUI, and he’s driving with no license, and he killed somebody, like you shouldn’t walk away from that.”
You read that correctly. Police did not arrest Valiente.
Image of Sean Buchanan: Screenshot from TheDenver Channel/ABC
