In the latest example of an immigrant engaging in criminal activity, a middle-aged man has been released from custody after robbing an elderly woman.
Elio Redondo Ragas, a 47-year-old migrant from Venezuela, had been arrested and charged with mugging an 80-year-old woman in Chicago earlier this month. According to a new report, the suspect was taken into custody on Friday August 2.
Law enforcement alleges that the man was biking in the early morning at the time of the incident. He reportedly stalked the woman, who was about a block away from her home. She told police that Ragas approached her quickly, grabbing her purse and her hat before biking away.
Two men—aged 42 and 43—witnessed the crime take place and took off after the robber. They managed to catch him and hold him until the police arrived on the scene. Then Ragas was arrested and charged. However, the suspect has not been requested by prosecutors to be held in custody.
Ragas was released on the authority of Judge Caroline Glennon-Goodman—who insisted he keep his distance from the woman he robbed and show up for court—despite a history of not appearing for scheduled court dates. In October 2023, the immigrant did not arrive for a hearing in a separate case. That offense involved the man stealing food and beer from an elderly man’s home, which he broke into. Prosecutors dropped charges when he did not show up at court.
But Ragas is also unlikely to be allowed to be handed to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, considering the so-called “sanctuary city” policy that Chicago boasts, welcoming and securing rights for illegal immigrants.
Last fall, Ragas was not charged with felonies due to the fact that the man he stole from assured police he was “content” with Ragas being charged with misdemeanors. He was then allowed to go home with instructions to appear in court at the end of the month, which he failed to do.
According to regularly updated statistics from the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), there have already been more than 540 burglary and robbery convictions of immigrants since October 1, 2023.
