FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Homeland security concerns are raised after a 41-year-old man who had been deported multiple times was arrested in Flagler County after deputies found multiple fake IDs, a passport, a social security card, and more.
German Altrimirano-Hernandez can be seen on video peacefully allowing himself to be arrested after he was pulled over for driving a van that was reported stolen. But being caught driving a stolen vehicle was the least of his concerns after deputies searched one of his bags.
The deputies discovered multiple fake IDs with various names and dates of birth. This included a Mexican passport, A United States social security card, a United States permanent resident alien card, and two Mexican consular cards issued from California and Florida.
“Oh, that’s not real. These are all phonies. A bag of phonies,” the deputy said after searching the bag.
Facial recognition software later identified Altimirano-Hernandez as someone who not only had warrants for his arrest from the U.S. Marshal Service but also the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Further investigation revealed he went by multiple aliases and had been deported multiple times from the United States.
Former Homeland Security Director turned News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst, Tom Hackney said this was a significant arrest.
“You’ve got this guy who has multiple IDs, multiple names and you have to wonder several things. One what’s he doing with all that?” Hackney said. “Secondarily, worry about where he got those from. Who makes them for him? Is this a larger web of what’s going on and you have to assume it is.”
Hackney says the fake IDs could be used to commit financial fraud at the expense of an unsuspecting victim. Altimirano-Hernandez’s arrest also puts a bigger spotlight on illegal immigration. Remember, before this arrest, he had already been arrested multiple times and deported.
According to immigration officials, in 2023, more than 142,000 people were removed from the United States following a criminal conviction. More than 1,200 of those folks were convicted in Florida courtrooms.
In 2022, nearly 12,000 people who were removed from the United States were convicted for illegal re-entry. Hackney said Flagler deputies got lucky when they stumbled upon a documented criminal who has been repeatedly caught after re-entering the country, but that leads to another question.
“How many of those don’t get caught?” Hackney asked.
That’s a question we may never get answers to.
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