Donald Trump was wrong about the beheading in Las Cruces

In his Oct. 31 speech at the Albuquerque International Sunport, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pointed to the 2021 Las Cruces crime case as evidence that illegal aliens are rampant in violent crime.

In his speech, Trump directly pointed the finger at Las Cruces and the case against Joel Arciniega-Saenz, a homeless man accused of a gruesome murder, as he talked about his proposed immigration policy.

Trump said: “In Las Cruces, New Mexico, there was an illegal alien, a criminal, who was arrested but let off the hook. You’ve heard of it. You know about it. This is a big story, but especially here, unsecured Bond What is an unsecured bond? The victim’s head was found 30 feet from his body, like a soccer ball.

“The people coming into this country are terrible,” Trump said. “On day one, I will begin the largest deportation program in American history.”

Here’s what you need to know about the 2021 Joel Arciñega-Saenz case Trump referenced.

In 2021, Joel Arcinigue-Saenz was charged with murder

Joel Arciñega-Science was arrested and indicted by a grand jury in June 2021 for the alleged murder of 51-year-old James Garcia.

The criminal complaint against Arciñega-Saenz alleged that he repeatedly stabbed and beheaded Garcia in Apodaca Park in Las Cruces in retaliation for an alleged past assault on his wife and for allegedly stealing his belongings.

This is evidenced by police reports Garcia’s head was completely severed from his bodyand Arciñega-Science “played soccer” with him, according to court documents.

Arciñega-Science had an extensive criminal history to murder, including a previous murder charge that was dropped. Arciñega-Saience had been released from prison on vandalism charges the day before Garcia’s murder.

A jury trial in the case has been set for March 2025, according to court documents. Arciñega-Science is being held pending that trial.

Civil status of Arciñega-Sayenza

None of the court documents in the Arcinigue-Saenz case mention foreign citizenship status. In the following indictment in the case, Arcimiega-Saenza’s place of birth is the United States, in directly contradicts Trump’s claims that Arciñega-Science immigrated to the United States without legal authorization.

Court documents say only that Arciñega-Science was left homeless at the time of the crime.

A motion for a preliminary injunction in Garcia’s killing said Arciñega-Saience allegedly confessed to the crime and had a history of criminal behavior.

Violent crime is on the rise in Las Cruces

Violent crime is on the rise in Las Cruces, according to a report by the Las Cruces Police Department, even though violent crime declined statewide in 2023, according to the FBI.

From September 2023 to September 2024, the number of violent crimes increased by 36%. In September 2024 alone, the number of murders increased by 88% compared to 2023. Aggravated assaults increased by 48% and violent rape by 11%. Only robberies (including retail crime) decreased by 14%.

The Las Cruces Police Department reported a 46% drop in violent crime in August.

New Mexico’s history is against pretrial detention

Senate Bill (SB) 271, which was approved during the 2024 legislative session, states that when a person who has been released on pretrial release for a felony is arrested for a subsequent felony, that person will remain in jail.

The person will remain in custody until each of the judges assigned to hear any of the felony cases has reviewed and modified the person’s release conditions.

Critics The bill said the only change made by SB 271 was that a judge would review a case before releasing a person charged with a felony. The release of people accused of committing a crime presupposes their innocence.

Arcinigue-Saenz was charged with a minor misdemeanor — vandalism — and released from pretrial detention. A judge would have been able to keep Arciñega-Sáenz in jail under SB 271 if he had been arrested on a felony charge or a more serious misdemeanor (as defined by the New Mexico Supreme Court). His previous felony charge was dismissed pending an arrest in June 2021.

Some argue that little has changed with the new rule, as all people in custody for a felony or certain misdemeanor would still have a pre-trial hearing where a judge could release them, as was done under SB 271 .

During the legislative debate on the bill, New Mexico State Police (NMSP) Deputy Superintendent Dale Wagoner testified in favor of the bill and told lawmakers that proactive police officers often lead to repeat offenders.

On February 13, the Senate voted 27 to 1, and on February 14 of this year, 57 representatives of the House of Representatives voted in favor (10 against).