ICE arrests violent criminal illegal alien who murdered a toddler in Wisconsin
The felon, who snuck back into the U.S. after a voluntary return to Mexico in 2002, served a 20-year sentence for brutally murdering 18-month-old Santiago Teniente Jr.
WASHINGTON / February 25, 2026 — ICE arrested Akira Salinas-Ruiz, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico convicted of brutally murdering his then-girlfriend’s toddler son to death in 2006. Salinas-Ruiz was convicted of first-degree reckless homicide on July 11, 2007, and sentenced to 20 years in state prison. The prison handed him over to ICE Feb. 17, and he has since been deported.
“This criminal illegal alien — this convicted child-murderer — should never have been in the U.S. in the first place,” said ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “Had he not snuck into the U.S., Santiago Teniente Jr. could be in his senior year of college, living the life he was meant to lead. Instead, Salinas-Ruiz stole that little boy’s future. That’s why the men and women of ICE brave a 1,427% increase in assaults and an 8,000% increase in death threats to get out on the streets every day and arrest criminal illegal aliens who are already known public safety threats. If we can save even one child from something like this through targeted enforcement, it’s worth it.”
Salinas-Ruiz told immigration officials in 2007 that he’d last illegally entered the United States sometime in 2001, along Arizona’s border near Sonora, Mexico. However, records indicate that immigration officials encountered him April 6, 2002, and granted him a voluntary return to Mexico at that time — nearly four years before he murdered the 18-month-old child.
According to local reports, paramedics were told the young boy fell and was having difficulty breathing when they were called on Feb. 28, 2006. A doctor concluded the toddler’s injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome — and inconsistent with a short fall. The little boy also suffered bruising on his stomach and neck, and passed away March 1, 2006, from his injuries.
Salinas-Ruiz, who was also charged with physical abuse of a child, pleaded no contest to the murder charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. An immigration judge ordered his removal on May 15, 2008, while he was still incarcerated. ICE arrested him following his release from state prison, and he has since been deported – making our country safer in the process.
You can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
Learn more about ICE’s public safety mission on X at @ICEgov.
Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.gov)
