The illegal immigrant Democrats and friendly media turned into a national symbol of ICE cruelty was actually arrested that day for allegedly beating his wife, according to arrest records obtained by The Daily Wire. The whole “kidnapped on a diaper run” story, as it turns out, was a little more complicated.
Peruvian national Martin Soto became the face of the anti-ICE movement after organizing a hunger strike at ICE’s Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey. His wife, Gabriela, went on a full media tour claiming ICE “abducted” her husband on February 1 while he was out buying diapers for their infant son. Democratic politicians rushed to champion the story. Reporters lapped it up. Nobody apparently thought to call the Kearny Police Department.
That call would have been pretty useful. Records from the Kearny Police Department, obtained through a public records request, state that Martin was arrested that day for “domestic abuse.” The victim’s name was redacted in most places, but documents identify her as “Ms. Soto.” The report states Martin “purposely” caused “bodily injury” by using “his hands, both opened and closed to strike” her “in her face, causing minor scratches and cuts to her face and neck.” He then allegedly “placed a hand over” her “mouth so she could not scream for help.” The children were in the room.
You can read Martin Soto ICE arrest report and judge the details for yourself, because The Daily Wire obtained the full document and it does not read like an innocent man heading to buy diapers.
Scott Mechkowski, a visiting fellow at the Oversight Project and a former ICE New York field office deputy director, did not mince words. “Every reporter, congressman, and senator who put his name on ‘Free Martin Soto’ had the same access to the facts I did,” he said. “They did not call the police department, and they did not ask for the report. They took one person’s word because it fit what they already wanted to say about ICE, and they let federal officers be called kidnappers for months.” He added that the officials who pushed the story “owe ICE’s officers an apology and owe the public a correction,” and predicted flatly, “So far we have heard neither and won’t. They have no moral compass.”
Martin was transferred to ICE custody directly from the Hudson County jail on February 2. ICE confirmed he was taken into custody that day after being charged with assault, and also noted that Martin “participated in inciting unrest and causing property damage” while detained at Delaney Hall. A Biden-appointed judge eventually granted his habeas petition in early October, citing wrongful detention and mental health concerns. He walked out of an ICE facility on October 6 wearing an ankle monitor, fell sobbing into Gabriela’s arms, and was greeted outside by Democratic New Jersey Reps. Rob Menendez and Analilia Mejia, who apparently had somewhere to be that day. The GoFundMe Gabriela ran while Martin was detained raised more than $67,000.
Martin’s lawyer, Selenia DeStefani, denied he has a criminal record and said “he is the victim of a crime, not the perpetrator of one.” The New Jersey Department of Labor certified a U-visa application filed on his behalf, a visa reserved for crime victims, based on his treatment in ICE detention. Gabriela told The Daily Wire in a July Instagram message that she was “not aware” of the police report but confirmed it listed her husband’s information, denied the abuse allegations, and insisted Martin “never hit anyone.” The assault case was later expunged, a Town of Kearny official confirmed.
The story is out now, the records are public, and the Democrats and reporters who spent months calling ICE agents kidnappers have some explaining to do. Don’t hold your breath waiting for those corrections, though. Admitting you were wrong requires having a moral compass, and that particular accessory seems to be out of stock on the left.
So I guess you can get arrested for beating your wife AND breaking into the country. Oh boy, the charges sure could add up if his wife wakes up and uses common sense.
