Note: We are featuring a different case every day until the election of noncitizens held on ICE detainers for serious crimes in Wisconsin Jails. You can read the stories here.
Serious questions arise about the actions of Madison and Minneapolis police, as well as the Hennepin County Jail, when examining the fuller timeline in the case of Alejandro Coronel-Zarate.
This alleged Venezuelan gang member, who entered the country in 2023, is accused of leaving a trail of abused females in his wake. The delay in detaining him by ICE raises concerns.
A Minnesota jail detained Alejandro Coronel-Zarate, an alleged member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, for nearly three days.
Surprisingly, despite the Madison police establishing probable cause that this noncitizen had choked, beaten, and threatened to burn and kill a terrified Madison woman, the jail released him back into the community. This information has been revealed through newly obtained records by Wisconsin Right Now.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department, located in a sanctuary county and following a “sanctuary” policy of not cooperating with ICE, released Coronel-Zarate, a 26-year-old Venezuelan, on November 20, 2023.
However, court records indicate that the Madison police had already obtained crucial evidence that was later used to press felony suffocation charges in Wisconsin on December 1.
It is unclear whether they informed ICE about the release. By the time Madison filed the charges, Coronel-Zarate had disappeared, and a warrant was issued when he failed to appear in court.
What are the key questions?
Why didn’t the Madison police apprehend him when the Minnesota Jail made the decision to release him? Was ICE informed about the fact that he was accused of committing a violent crime?
Why didn’t Minneapolis and Hennepin County authorities inform ICE about his presence in jail, enabling them to place a detainer on him?
The media isn’t asking why they won’t say. It’s worth mentioning that Hennepin County is located in Tim Walz’s Minnesota. While he doesn’t oversee the Sheriff’s Department or Jail directly, his leadership sets the tone. As reported by Fox News, Walz has previously equated an ICE raid to terrorism and has advocated for sanctuary cities.
In August, Coronel-Zarate resurfaced in Prairie du Chien, where he stands accused of assaulting a juvenile and a woman. This incident has thrust Coronel-Zarate into the forefront of the nation’s immigration debate.
However, due to the mishandled release in the Madison case, he was able to stay on the streets, travel to Prairie du Chien, and allegedly carry out the new attack.
Former President Donald Trump is set to visit Prairie du Chien on Saturday, where he will continue to criticize Kamala Harris and the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies.
Joining him in expressing concern over the issue is Congressman Derrick Van Orden, who is also running against the left-leaning political operative, Rebecca Cooke.
The mainstream media is missing the mark by overly focusing on fact-checking Congressman Van Orden on a minor point. Instead, they should be asking the important questions.
Wisconsin Watch, a liberal-leaning outlet, prematurely concluded that there was no evidence linking sanctuary policies to the release of Alejandro Coronel Zarate, a Venezuelan immigrant who was later arrested on a sexual assault charge in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin on September 5, 2024.
However, this statement fails to provide a complete picture of the situation. In reality, there is no evidence to suggest that anyone informed ICE about his incarceration.
The corporate media is working hard to discredit Van Orden’s statement about Coronel-Zarate being released from sanctuary cities. Van Orden indicated that Coronel-Zarate should not have been allowed into the country and should have been arrested and deported from either Minneapolis or Madison.
He was never released from Dane County’s jail because Madison police didn’t go pick him up, despite having probable cause, according to the chief.
The Hennepin County jail has been wrongly portrayed as not being a sanctuary for illegal immigrants in the misleading report by Wisconsin Watch. In fact, since 2021, the jail has refused to honor ICE detainers, making it a safe haven for undocumented immigrants.
It is important to note that there is no evidence to suggest that ICE was even aware of Coronel-Zarate’s presence in the jail. In contrast, certain jails, like the one in Waukesha, Wisconsin, fully cooperate with ICE to identify inmates who are in the country illegally. The Minnesota booking sheet does not mention any ICE hold on Coronel-Zarate.
Madison police have a policy of occasionally enforcing ICE detainers. However, it is unclear why they failed to inform ICE about Coronel-Zarate’s status as a suspect in a violent crime investigation.
ICE, Madison, and Minneapolis police have not provided any comments in response to our requests. When we reached out to Hennepin County, they advised us to file an open records request. Following their suggestion, we submitted the request and received the immigration policy and booking sheet as the only documents released.
Here’s the complete timeline of the Alejandro Coronel-Zarate case.
In September 2023, Prairie du Chien police reported that Coronel-Zarate had entered the United States during this period, crossing the border in the El Paso, Texas, area.
On November 5, 2023, Prairie du Chien police reported that Coronel-Zarate was taken into custody in Minneapolis for receiving stolen property. However, there seems to be a mistake in the date as the Minnesota booking sheet indicates that he was actually arrested on the 17th.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes informed the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Coronel Zarate was reported to the police in November 2023 in relation to a battery case.
The officers had established probable cause to arrest him, but unfortunately, he managed to flee the scene before they could apprehend him.
Despite their extensive efforts, including the deployment of a K-9 unit, they were unable to locate him. This information confirms that the officers had grounds to arrest Coronel-Zarate prior to his escape, which subsequently led to his presence in a jail in Minnesota.
On November 17, 2023, the Hennepin County booking sheet indicates that Coronel-Zarate was arrested at 11:16 p.m. by the Minneapolis police. The reason provided for the arrest was probable cause, and the specific accusation was receiving/concealing stolen property.
Wisconsin Watch stated that the arrest was related to a car theft connected to the Madison case. They reported, “Identified as a Madison vehicle theft suspect, Coronel Zarate was arrested in Minneapolis and jailed.”
On November 18, 2023, Zarate is taken into custody and placed in the Hennepin County Jail at 12:05 p.m.
On November 20, 2023, Zarate walked out of the Hennepin County Jail at 12:12 p.m. The official reason for his release was that the 36-hour limit had expired.
Surprisingly, there was no indication of an ICE hold, and the Madison police did not show up to take him into custody. According to Wisconsin Watch, Zarate was set free because the prosecutors in Minnesota decided not to press charges against him.
According to an article in the Journal Sentinel, Barnes stated that Madison police had received a stolen vehicle report that named Coronel-Zarate as the suspect. He was later arrested in Minnesota but was eventually released from the Hennepin County Jail.
In essence, Barnes is suggesting that the Madison police were aware of Coronel-Zarate’s presence in the Minnesota jail. However, it is not entirely clear from the newspaper’s report when exactly the Madison police became aware of this, and Barnes has not provided further information on the matter.
The Journal Sentinel failed to address the glaring questions concerning Barnes’ department’s knowledge of Coronel-Zarate’s arrest in Minnesota.
Why did they not take action to apprehend him when he was released, given that they had probable cause? It remains unclear whether the Madison police received this information before or after his release in Minnesota.
The complaint also reveals that Coronel-Zarate had been homeless and occasionally living in a friend’s car in Dane County, Wisconsin before he fled. By not apprehending him, it was almost certain that he would disappear. The Hennepin County booking sheet lists him as “transient.”
December 1, 2023: Zarate is charged in Dane County Circuit Court for the assault on the woman. According to the criminal complaint filed in 2023, he faces charges of strangulation and suffocation, false imprisonment, misdemeanor battery, and disorderly conduct in Dane County, Wisconsin. The offense took place on November 16, 2023. A warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear in court.
On August 26, 2004, he was reported to have arrived in the community of Prairie du Chien, according to the local police.
On September 5, 2024, the Prairie du Chien Police Department promptly attended to a physical disturbance incident in the 300 block of East Wells Street.
Upon reaching the scene, officers were informed about a male suspect who had committed physical and sexual violence against an adult female.
Additionally, a female juvenile was discovered with injuries sustained during the altercation. Following a thorough investigation, law enforcement arrested the male suspect and subsequently transported him to the Crawford County Jail.
The individual was taken into custody at a Wisconsin detention facility on various charges, including domestic disorderly conduct, two counts of domestic battery, strangulation/suffocation, physical abuse to a child, disorderly conduct, and two counts of 2nd degree sexual assault. Additionally, they were also arrested on warrants issued by Dane County.
On September 6, 2024, Judge Luke Steiner from Crawford County Circuit Court imposed a $10,000 cash bond for the release of Mr. Coronel Zarate, as reported by Prairie Du Chien police. They further informed that ICE has placed a detainer on Coronel-Zarate, indicating that if he manages to post bail, they will have the opportunity to apprehend him.
What is Alejandro Coronel-Zarate Accused of Doing in Dane County, Specifically?
The victim, who was visibly upset and frightened, bravely stepped forward, as stated in the criminal complaint. She would become even more terrified whenever the police arrived, fearing that the suspect had returned. This would cause her to try to flee from the interview and rush back into her apartment.
According to the criminal complaint, additional claims are made as follows:
During their journey back from the DMV, the woman recounted an unsettling incident involving the defendant. As they drove, a disagreement ensued, and he abruptly commanded her to be silent. Feeling agitated, she decided to exit the vehicle upon reaching a parking lot. However, he uttered a chilling threat, claiming that he would harm her baby if she dared to step out of the car.
When they arrived at the apartment parking lot, however, he once again made threats, stating that he would set the car on fire while she was still inside and even went as far as threatening to harm her children.
Fearing for her safety, she eventually decided to leave the vehicle. It was clear to her niece that she was extremely distressed and upset, prompting her to inquire about what had happened.
The defendant, who has tattoos on his arms and neck, was described as just an acquaintance by the victim. According to the complaint, he is homeless and occasionally sleeps in her vehicle.
Source: Wisconsin Right Now
