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A security guard at a Miami immigration detention facility is facing felony charges after police say he stole cash from a detainee.
Matthew Christian Torres, a 31-year-old security guard at Krome Detention Center, was arrested August 24 after he was caught stealing thousands of dollars from a man in the process of being deported, according to a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office police report (attached at the bottom of this story). A U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) representative told police that while he was preparing deportation documents for the detainee, the man suddenly noticed he was missing $5,382.
“It should be noted, that the money was never logged in the property book,” the arrest report reads.
Upon further investigation, police found surveillance footage showing Torres in possession of the money — concealing it in his jacket before entering an employee bathroom and later, upon returning to the common area, putting it in his pants pocket.
“The defendant never advised the supervisor of the money belonging to the victim,” the report reads.
Torres faces a third-degree grand theft charge, which carries a fine of up to $5,000 and up to five years in state prison.
He was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was set at $2,500. It’s unclear whether he remains there as of Wednesday afternoon. His name did not appear on the county’s website listing its inmates currently in custody.
Torres is employed by Akima Protective Services, which operates the facility owned by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the edge of the Everglades, according to the report. The facility has been plagued by reports of overcrowding and poor conditions since the Trump administration started ramping up immigration enforcement last January.
Akima did not immediately respond to New Times’ request for comment, including a question about whether Torres remains employed there.
Nestor Yglesias, a spokesperson for ICE, provided the following statement to New Times via email:
“ICE takes allegations of misconduct very seriously. We hold our personnel and contractors to the highest standards of professional and ethical behavior. When we receive a complaint, we investigate the matter thoroughly to determine its veracity, and to ensure strict compliance with the comprehensive standards that ICE is required to follow under various national detention standards.”
Formerly known as the Krome North Service Processing Center, Krome is a federal immigration facility used to process and detain people apprehended by ICE or U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The facility is privately run by Akima Infrastructure Protection, a massive Virginia-headquartered federal government contractor, under a $685 million contract. Akima’s facilities, including Krome, have long faced allegations of human rights abuses.
An attorney wasn’t immediately listed for Torres, who New Times was unable to reach for comment.
