U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested an illegal alien on March 14 in connection with the hit-and-run crash that killed Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Deputy Kenneth Lewis.
Dennis Arguello-Acosta was allegedly driving the vehicle that struck Lewis on February 21 on Interstate 10 before fleeing the scene. Lewis, who was off-duty but in uniform and assisting drivers in a separate two-vehicle crash, died two days later. He was 51.
An anonymous tip received on March 11 by the FBI and other agencies led Homeland Security Investigations agents, working with the FBI, to identify Arguello-Acosta and locate his residence. ICE took him into custody to prevent his release back into U.S. communities. He could face additional state charges.
“Deputy Kenneth Lewis served his community honorably as a law enforcement officer — and he would still be with us today if it were not for this criminal illegal alien who should’ve never been in our country in the first place,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a DHS news release. “ICE has arrested Arguello-Acosta to ensure that he is not free to roam on our streets and threaten public safety. Under President Trump, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.”
Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan described Lewis as a hero at the time of the crash.
“A superhero is someone that thinks of others before themselves,” Fagan said, Fox News reported. “And that’s what Deputy Lewis was doing. He took it upon himself to go back on duty to try to help that individual.”
Lewis had survived a near-fatal incident 12 years earlier while with the Missouri City Police Department, jumping 30 feet off a bridge to avoid an oncoming vehicle at an accident scene.
DHS said its agents work daily to protect communities from tragedies like this one. Victims of immigration-related crime can contact the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement office at 1-855-488-6423 for support.
