Immigration hold placed on Gustavo Perez Arriaga, man accused of killing Newman Police corporal

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- U.S. immigration authorities confirmed they had no contact with a Mexican national suspected of killing a California police officer until the man was arrested last week.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement emailed a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday saying it had placed its first immigration detainer on suspect Gustavo Perez Arriaga after the Dec. 26 killing.

Perez Arriaga, who was in the country illegally and had previous arrests, was taken into custody Friday in Kern County on suspicion of killing Newman police Cpl. Ronil Singh.

The officer's death has rekindled a national debate over California sanctuary policies. President Trump seized on the case in a call for tougher border security.

Singh was a 33-year-old husband and father of a 5-month-old boy.