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August 20, 2025Washington, DC, United StatesEnforcement and Removal

ICE arrests twice-convicted, drunk-driving illegal alien who’s been hiding in California for over 20 years

The arrest follows a rash of drunk driving crashes where illegal aliens behind the wheel have killed Americans

WASHINGTON — ICE San Francisco arrested an illegal alien convicted of two separate drunk driving incidents Aug. 17. Jose De Santiago-Martinez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced to just four days for one count of driving under the influence and only 40 days for the other. The California Department of Motor Vehicles routinely issues driver’s licenses to illegal aliens who can’t prove legal presence in the United States but meet California DMV requirements.

“This Mexican illegal alien got two DUIs a little over a year apart and was sentenced to a total of 44 days in jail, which is little more than a slap on the wrist when you compare it to the potential harm he could’ve done,” said acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “When an illegal alien establishes a pattern of ignoring our laws — starting when they illegally enter and reenter this country and concluding with criminal charges — we have a legal and moral obligation to get them off our streets and protect our communities. We can’t afford to wait until tragedy strikes to make an arrest.”

De Santiago-Martinez first entered the U.S. without inspection or parole sometime in 2004. On Aug. 15 that year, he was issued a voluntary return to Mexico. He returned the next day and was issued another voluntary return.

He illegally reentered the country for at least the third time after his second voluntary return.

A judge convicted him of driving on a suspended license on Feb. 10, 2024. Just over a month later, on March 25, a judge in Sacramento County convicted him of misdemeanor drunk driving — his first offense — and sentenced him to four days in jail. Then, on May 19, 2025, a judge in Placer County convicted him of his second misdemeanor drunk driving charge, sentencing him to just 40 days behind bars.

Under California law, a person’s first, second and third DUIs within a 10-year period are typically charged as misdemeanors.

De Santiago-Martinez’s arrest follows a rash of drunk driving incidents involving illegal aliens killing Americans.

In Dane County, Wisconsin, Noelia Saray Martinez-Avila stole the lives of two American teens — Hallie Helgeson and Brady Heiling — on July 20. Martinez-Avila had already been convicted of drunk driving in November 2020; she allegedly ignored a court order to install an ignition interlock device in her car, which would have prevented her from starting the vehicle while drunk.

On July 26, in Lakewood, New Jersey, Raul Luna-Perez — an illegal alien from Mexico with several brushes with the law under his belt — crossed into oncoming traffic and killed a local mother and daughter while injuring an 11-year-old child traveling with them. In addition to the deadly crash, during which Luna-Perez’s blood-alcohol content was allegedly more than three times the legal limit, he was arrested for domestic violence in 2023 and back-to-back DUIs in March and April of this year.

Report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ICE’s public safety mission on X at @ICEgov.

Updated: 08/21/2025