OREGON—An illegal immigrant from Mexico, Antonio Vasquez Vargas, 52, was arrested November 27 for allegedly shooting and killing his co worker, Renee Luis-Antonio, 35.
The shooting transpired on November 26 at the creamery in Milton County in Milton-Freewater, Oregon where both Vasquez Vargas and the victim were employed. Antonio’s body was found in his tractor with multiple gunshot wounds. The shooting was the result of an ongoing feud between the co-workers.
Officers tracked Vargas to Benton County Washington where he was arrested at a local motel by a SWAT team.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Antonio Vasquez Vargas, also known as Deciderio Vargas-Ortiz was a citizen of Mexico who had been deported at least eight times. He was charged in Umatilla County Superior Court on December 3.
The following statement was obtained was obtained by KAPP/KVEW from ICE spokesperson, Tanya Roman on Friday, December 7:
“ICE lodged a detainer with the Benton County Jail on Antonio Vasquez Vargas, aka Deciderio Vargas-Ortiz, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the U.S., after he was arrested on local charges. ICE has removed him from the U.S. on at least eight prior occasions. On March 15, 2004, Vasquez was convicted in U.S. District Court for violation of 8 USC 1326(B)(2) Aggravated Felon Re-Entry After Deportation and was sentenced to 39-months incarceration.
There is no U.S. statute or legal mechanism for ICE to obtain a criminal arrest warrant or judicial warrant signed by a federal judge for immigration violations. ICE is authorized by Congress to issue administrative immigration warrants, as the agency currently does across the country.”
The suspect is currently in custody at the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office. He was booked on November 30. The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office’s website reports that Antonio Vasquez Vargas has been charged with one count of murder and one count of a felon in possession of a weapon.
