“Father of Murdered Maria Gonzalez Almost Deported by ICE Before Testifying in Pasadena, Texas Case”

In Pasadena, Texas, a father who plays a vital role as a witness in the heinous murder of his 11-year-old daughter, Maria Gonzalez, faced imminent deportation, sparking concerns about how immigration enforcement could impact criminal investigations.

Carmelo Gonzalez, the father of Maria, made the grim discovery of his daughter’s lifeless body hidden in a bag under a bed in their apartment located in Pasadena, Texas, close to Houston, in August 2023. Court documents revealed that Maria had endured sexual assault and was strangled. Shortly after the tragic finding, 18-year-old Juan Carlos Garcia Rodriguez, a neighbor, was apprehended in Louisiana, just four days later, and formally charged with capital murder. Gonzalez holds a crucial position as a key witness in the ongoing investigation.

Harris County, Texas District Attorney Sean Teare expressed alarm over recent developments and emphasized the importance of Gonzalez’s testimony.

“The proximity to almost losing such a pivotal witness is undeniably alarming,” Teare expressed. “It would be impossible to proceed with a case of this magnitude without granting that young girl a voice, and without allowing her father, who raised her and cherished her since birth, to testify about her to a jury.”

On Jan. 26, court records show that Gonzalez was arrested for his first DWI offense, a misdemeanor. As an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, he was flagged by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Upon release on bond the next day, online records indicate he was taken into ICE custody for an immigration violation.

By the time the district attorney’s office was notified and found him, Gonzalez was already on a plane, Teare said, despite having a pending U-Visa application, which is typically granted to crime victims who assist in criminal investigations and prosecutions.

“I have never seen a witness with a U-Visa application already in the process of being removed from the country within a week of going into ICE custody,” he said. “I have never seen that even with someone without a U-Visa application.”

Currently, Gonzalez is being held at a facility in Conroe, Texas, while officials work with ICE to secure his release. Teare warned that recent changes in immigration enforcement policies are already impacting criminal prosecutions.

“We are having less witness cooperation because of these policies, which means we are not able to prosecute the predators preying on our communities as effectively,” Teare said. “These victims, these family members, these witnesses are scared to show up at the courthouse, that, quite frankly, is full of law enforcement because they are worried about being deported.”

ICE has not responded to requests for comment. The presence of ICE agents inside Harris County Jail has long been a reality, but this case, Teare said, highlights growing uncertainty about immigration enforcement at the courthouse.

While Teare said he wants to ensure that Gonzalez will be the “voice for this beautiful little girl,” he also promises the father’s DWI case will go through the same process that others do.

Additionally, Teare said his office is now tracking the number of cases that are affected due to immigration enforcement fallout.