Immokalee man arrested for failing to appear in Louisiana court after bar fight

IMMOKALEE, Fla. —

An Immokalee man arrested after a bar fight is accused of failing to appear in court in Louisiana, Collier County Sheriff's Office deputies announced on Wednesday.

According to a post on its Facebook page, deputies responded to a fight in progress outside an Immokalee bar over the weekend. CCSO says it found out that the suspect, Jose Alberto Machado-Perez, 40, a native of Honduras, had illegally reentered the United States seven times.

Deputies took him into custody on a failure to appear warrant and booked him into the Naples Jail Center. Machado-Perez, who deputies say was involved in the fight, had the failure to appear warrant issued in Louisiana. He is facing charges of cruelty to a juvenile in Baton Rouge.

Through its investigation, CCSO jail deputies say they discovered that Machado-Perez repeatedly entered the country illegally. Records show, they say, that he repeatedly entered the country at unknown times and locations without inspection of admission by an immigration officer at a designated point of entry.

Machado-Perez was physically removed from the country through Arizona and Texas in 2013 and 2016, and Louisiana in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

Following his arrest, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer was placed on Machado-Perez through ICE's 287(g) program, which deputies say is a law enforcement tool that serves as a deterrent to criminal immigrants lacking permanent legal status.

Once he has satisfied his charges in Louisiana, CCSO says, Machado-Perez will be released into ICE custody.

DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.