A Chicago carpenter, recently acquitted of charges alleging he placed a $10,000 bounty on a Border Patrol commander, has been taken into immigration custody and now faces deportation, his attorneys confirmed on Tuesday.
Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, was cleared of one count of murder-for-hire last week. Within 24 hours of his acquittal, federal immigration agents apprehended him, according to defense lawyers Jonathan Bedi and Dena Singer. Born in Mexico, Mr Espinoza Martinez was brought to the US as a young child. His immigration status was not a factor in the initial criminal trial, which arose from a Chicago immigration crackdown.
Defense attorneys accused the federal government of "character assassination," noting that prosecutors had labeled Espinoza Martinez a "criminal illegal alien." Prosecutors also alleged he was a "ranking" member of the Latin Kings, but this claim quickly collapsed when no evidence was presented, leading a judge to prohibit any mention of the street gang during the trial.
In a joint statement, Bedi and Singer said: "This verdict is a reminder that juries see through political prosecutions. They demand real evidence, not speculation and character assassination. The government didn’t have it. They never did."
Espinoza Martinez, a married father of three, was initially arrested in October. His wife, Bianca Hernandez, informed the Chicago Tribune that her husband had been a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an Obama-era programme protecting hundreds of thousands from deportation if they meet specific criteria, including a clean criminal record. However, his family stated that Mr Espinoza Martinez was unable to reapply for DACA in 2020 due to financial hardship.
Hernandez told the Tribune: "We were very, very happy because we knew that he didn’t do anything. But at the same time, it is a very bittersweet victory because he doesn’t actually get to come home." She did not respond to messages from The Associated Press this week.
Espinoza Martinez’s arrest in October coincided with a surge of federal immigration agents in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. Protests and standoffs with immigration officers were frequent, particularly in the heavily Mexican Little Village neighbourhood where he resided.
He was accused of sending Snapchat messages to his brother and a friend, who was later revealed to be a long-term government informant. One message reportedly read: "10k if u take him down," accompanied by a picture of Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official known for leading aggressive crackdowns across the nation, including in the Chicago area.
Following the verdict, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) dismissed the jury’s decision, which was reached after less than four hours of deliberation. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated: "This verdict does not change the facts: Espinoza targeted federal law enforcement with violence via Snapchat." She directed further inquiries to the Department of Justice, which did not immediately respond.
This case has intensified scepticism regarding the narratives put forth by the Trump administration concerning immigration enforcement surges. Approximately half of the 30 criminal cases stemming from Operation Midway Blitz in the Chicago area have either been dismissed or dropped.
