A man held in a Nashville jail since August 7 over charges which allege he had inappropriate contact with a minor is now being held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer, according to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office.
Davidson County Criminal Court records reveal 50-year-old Wilmer Garcia was arrested on August 7 and charged with multiple counts of sexual and aggravated sexual battery and solicitation of a minor for crimes that police say occurred between November 2023 and March 2024.
The records further confirm Garcia is held on an “ICE – Detainer” and is currently ineligible for release.
Davidson County’s records show the state’s case against Garcia is closed, having been bound over to another agency for prosecution, likely due to Garcia’s apparent status as an illegal immigrant.
Garcia, according to Scoop Nashville, “was caught soliciting sexual acts from a six-year-old,” in June, when the child’s mother reportedly obtained a confession from the “friend of the family” during a phone call.
The outlet reported one alleged incident happened inside the victim’s home, where Scoop Nashville reported Garcia is accused of forcing a girl to touch him inappropriately after the victim’s mother temporarily left the room.
Garcia allegedly admitted the girl “accidentally” touched him inappropriately during that time, report claimed.
Prior to the ICE immigration detainer, Garcia was assigned a $270,000 bond by an unnamed Davidson County magistrate judge, according to the outlet.
Court records do not seem to reveal which magistrate judge set the bond, but they do reveal that General Sessions Court Judge Rachel Bell is the latest judge to oversee the case. Garcia’s case was first reviewed by Judge Sam Coleman on August 9.
The ICE detainer on Garcia comes as Americans have identified immigration as one of their top political issues every month since November 2023, with experts warning issues, ranging from increased crime to an inflated housing market that is more hostile to first-time buyers, can be tied to the Biden-Harris administration’s policies at the southern border.
Multiple children and young women, including Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray, and Rachel Morin, who were allegedly killed by illegal immigrants, have also been raised as results of the Biden-Harris administration’s border policy, which has seen more than 10 million illegal immigrants enter the United States since January 2021.
A recent poll found nearly half of Americans believe illegal immigration will increase if Vice President Kamala Harris is elected to the White House in November, while 60 percent said illegal immigration would likely decrease under former President Donald Trump.
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Wilmer Alvarez Garcia” by ICE.
