Advertisement Suspect’s girlfriend: ‘All I think about is that little girl’ Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have contacted the Polk County Sheriff’s Department and requested information about the man charged in a fatal Des Moines crash.Polk County Sgt. Brandon Bracelin said ICE officials want to know if Fernando Lopez Aguilar bonds out of jail.“On Sept. 9, ICE placed an immigration detainer on Fernando Fernel Lopez-Aguilar with the Polk County Jail following his recent arrest on local charges,” said Shawn Neudauer.A detainer requests that, if the local authorities release Aguilar for any reason, he be released into ICE custody. ICE places detainers only on non-U.S. citizens suspected of violating U.S. immigration law.“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remains focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes threats to national security, public safety and border security as laid out in Secretary Johnson’s November 2014 memo,” said Neudauer.Original story detailing crashSen. Chuck Grassley is also requesting the immigration history of Aguilar.Grassley sent a letter Tuesday to the Department of Homeland Security demanding answers about Aguilar's immigration history.“I got word that he was undocumented from a whistleblower,” Grassley said. “And a lot of our investigations start as a result of whistleblowing.”Aguilar’s girlfriend, Frances Jordan, was in the car with her boyfriend and their 8-month-old daughter Thursday when police say Aguilar sped through a stop sign causing a deadly chain reaction crash.“I am really sorry about this little girl. She is in my head every night,” Jordan said. “All day throughout the whole day is all I think about is that little girl -- besides my girls, because what if it was my child?”Aguilar's girlfriend said she knows nothing about him being an illegal immigrant, but she does know he is sorry about the crash.“Fernando is really sorry for what happened to that girl, and he is taking it really hard because he has a sister that age,” Jordan said.Federal officials would not give specifics on what Aguilar did to break immigration law.Aguilar is being held at the Polk County Jail on a $560,000 bond.