GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — ICE issued an immigration detainer against Rodrigo Antonio Rodriguez Flores, a Mexican illegal immigrant charged with DUI and vehicular homicide in the death of 43-year-old Alicia Thomas, a mother and Atlanta-area real estate agent killed in a crash just outside Atlanta.
The detainer was issued May 21 after Rodriguez Flores was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on the DUI and vehicular homicide charges. Acting ICE Director David J. Venturella tied the case directly to the agency’s broader enforcement mission.
“Alicia Thomas, the mother of a 13-year-old child, was just 43 years old when she was killed in this devastating crash in just outside Atlanta, a mile from her home,” Venturella said. “By all accounts, she was a popular real estate agent in Atlanta, where she’d worked for almost a decade — but her life was cut short in a preventable tragedy.”
“Illegal immigration is a not a victimless crime, as evidenced by this horrific event,” Venturella added. “ICE will not rest until all removable aliens are removed from our country.”
Gwinnett County Sheriff Keybo Taylor honors ICE detainers, ensuring Rodriguez Flores will not be released into the community before he faces justice. Georgia state law prohibits all local governments from creating sanctuary policies, placing the county in compliance with both state and federal law — a contrast ICE drew with sanctuary jurisdictions elsewhere in the country.
ICE framed the case under the enforcement priorities of President Donald J. Trump and Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “Under President Donald J. Trump and Secretary Markwayne Mullin, ICE will not gamble with the safety of American communities,” the agency stated.
Rodriguez Flores remains lodged in the Gwinnett County Jail pending criminal proceedings. ICE noted that victims and families affected by crimes linked to immigration may contact the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office at 855-488-6423.