Two men riding in a commercial truck fled during a traffic stop when ICE agents responded to the scene concerning questionable identification materials.
According to reports, Cpl. Charles Coats was patrolling I-20 near milepost 114 when he executed a traffic stop on a Ford F-350 with dark window tint and noticed the truck had a United States Department of Transportation number on it.
The license plate on the vehicle did not appear to match the vehicle identification number. Still, the driver said he believed the tag issued had been handled by his supervisor back in April.
Coats then asked the truck's passengers for identification. The identification provided by front-seat passenger, Selvin Omar Zacarias Ramos, appeared to originate in Guatemala with a current address in Conyers. The identification provided by the right-rear seat passenger, Jose Manuel Requean Chavelas, appeared to originate in Mexico and also had a Conyers address. The third provided an Illinois driver’s license that showed “not valid for identification” on it.
ICE agents were subsequently contacted regarding the questionable identifications.
Agents later arrived on scene and were talking to the passengers when Ramos fled. After a short foot chase, Ramos was handcuffed and taken to the federal agent’s vehicle.
As Coats was finishing his investigation into the license plate and writing a citation for the window tint, passenger Ventura Ramirez Mauro also fled the scene, even though his hands were handcuffed behind his back.
Deputies and ICE agents called for four K-9s to assist with the search, a Georgia State Patrol helicopter, and the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office drone.
The manhunt was called off at 11:17 a.m., but a GSP trooper found Mauro inside a vehicle on Crawford Road. Mauro was in the passenger seat, tilted all the way back in an effort to conceal himself.
Mauro was taken to the Morgan County jail and booked for obstruction. He was released to ICE agents the next morning.
Another man wanted on an administrative warrant issued by ICE was also detained Oct. 8. According to reports, Deputy Kevin Mosher initiated a traffic stop on an F-250 near milepost 100 on I-20 because the window tint appeared to violate Georgia laws.
Mosher approached the driver, but the female passenger spoke up, saying the driver, later identified as Marvin Aguilera-Medina, did not speak English. She provided Mosher with a copy of his passport. Mosher then learned that Aguilera-Medina was wanted on an ICE warrant.
He was arrested for driving without a valid license, and the passenger, later identified as Laura Scalzo-Aguilar, was arrested for allowing someone to operate a vehicle without a permit, a violation of state law.
As a result of the passage of HB 1105, Georgia’s Immigration and Nationality Act of 2024, the Georgia Department of Corrections is now monitoring inmates who are not U.S. citizens. Jailers are required to compile quarterly reports regarding immigration status, crimes committed, and country of origin.
Georgia’s Criminal Alien Track and Report Act of 2024 aims to enhance cooperation among state and local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities to identify and detain criminal illegal aliens.
Key provisions include:
• Authorizing law enforcement officers to verify the immigration status of individuals accused of certain misdemeanor offenses prior to releasing them on citation, and requiring state and local agencies to enter into agreements with federal immigration authorities to assist with the enforcement of immigration laws.
• Mandating that custodial authorities honor immigration detainer notices and report information on foreign-born inmates.
• Imposing penalties on local governments that adopt “sanctuary” policies that restrict cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
• Requiring the Department of Audits and Accounts to review and audit annual reports on agency compliance with immigration-related laws.
• Expanding the collection of DNA samples from certain convicted felons subject to immigration detainers.
• The bill aims to promote compliance with state laws related to deterring the presence of criminal illegal aliens in Georgia.
According to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office website, 389 inmates were booked into the jail during the first quarter of 2025, and six of those had immigration detainers issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The number of inmates booked dropped to 226 during the second quarter, but the number with immigration detainers rose to eight. During the third quarter of 2025, the number of immigration detainers rose to 12.