The Dane County sheriff refused a request by federal immigration authorities to place an immigration hold on one of the two suspects who is accused of sexually assaulting a transgender victim at Goodspeed Family Pier on the UW-Madison campus, Wisconsin Right Now has documented.
The request being denied does not mean the suspect is not, in fact, an illegal immigrant; the sheriff has a longstanding policy of refusing to comply with ICE detainer requests without judicial order, even for people who are illegal immigrants, and even when those people are accused of violent crimes. We previously reported that the sheriff refused about 90% of such detainer requests after he went on a rant and falsely claimed he cooperates with ICE.
Our Lives Wisconsin reported that the victim is transgender, as did the Wisconsin State Journal. The Goodspeed Family Pier is part of Alumni Park, a gift to the UW-Madison campus from the Wisconsin Alumni Association. It is pitched as welcoming “the community to the UW-Madison campus.”
Here is the documentation verifying that the Dane County Jail declined an immigration hold for Arturo R. Santos Albujas, 27, one of the two suspects named by UW-Madison police. Jail records say Santos Albujas is being held on accusations of false imprisonment, battery, second-degree sexual assault with use of force, and strangulation. We have asked the Dane County Sheriff to explain the reason the hold was declined. It should also be noted that the sheriff refuses to call inmates “inmates,” so Santos Albujas and the other suspect are labeled “residents” of the jail. Santos Albujas has a previous traffic case out of Jefferson County from 2025 for operating a motor vehicle without insurance.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department announced that the two suspects were arrested following a sexual assault that occurred at 4:12 a.m. on Aug. 29 at Goodspeed Family Pier. The university said they were from Fitchburg in its news release, leading news outlets to dub them “Fitchburg men” and “Fitchburg residents.”
More Immigration Holds in the Dane County Jail
We found 18 other inmates currently in the Dane County Jail with immigration holds, declined immigration holds, or immigration hold requests. Eight of those holds were also denied; three were open requests. The rest are just listed as immigration holds. Many are being accused of very serious crimes, including two notorious cases:
- Dane County declined an ICE hold for a woman named Nelia Saray Martinez Avila. “On August 13, 2025, ICE arrested Noelia Saray Martinez-Avila — a criminal illegal alien from Honduras — who struck a vehicle while driving in the wrong direction on a highway, killing 18-year-old Hallie Helgeson at the scene on July 20. Martinez-Avila also gravely injured 19-year-old Brady Heiling who died from his injuries on July 25.” She is currently in the Dane County Jail.
- Ivan Aldair Canchold Garcia case. Dane County’s Jail declined to an immigration hold request for him. He is accused of attempted 1st degree intentional homicide out of La Crosse and a string of serious charges out of Dane County for which he was wanted on a warrant, including strangulation, intimidate a witness, etc. He was accused of a stabbing in La Crosse and bail there was set at $1 million bail, but he was then taken to the Dane County Jail on warrants in the other case.
Elise Schaffer, spokeswoman for the Sheriff, previously told us that the “Dane County Sheriff’s Office requires judicial authority to hold someone in custody. In cases where we have a person in jail who has not been sentenced, we request that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement provide a court document signed by a judge granting the authority to hold that individual.” However, that almost never happens, according to our previous review.
“If we have someone in custody who is serving a sentence, we will notify ICE of the release date and inform them that they must pick up that individual by 11:00 am. We do not hold people past their scheduled release date unless there is judicial authority,” she said then. Several of the inmates with granted holds are post-sentencing.
The Goodson Family Pier case
There is no indication of an immigration hold request in jail records for Yorfred H. Marcano Gutierrez, 31, the second suspect. He has a previous speeding case from 2024 in Dane County.
Wisconsin Right Now has sent requests to the Dane County Sheriff’s Department for additional details of any immigration hold requests, granted or denied, for both men, and we also asked UW-Madison Police Department about their immigration status. We have further asked Fitchburg’s police chief whether his agency has had any prior contact with the men.
On Saturday, August 29, 2026, at approximately 4:10 a.m., UWPD “received a call from a concerned bystander who reported a disturbance on the pier near Alumni Park. UWPD officers responded and learned a sexual assault had occurred. Officers immediately arrested the two suspects and took them into custody,” a news release said.
Investigators “learned the suspects and victim, who are not affiliated with UW-Madison, met at a bar earlier and walked to the pier. The victim was attacked and sexually assaulted as they attempted to leave,” the released added. “Both suspects were booked into the Dane County Jail on tentative charges of 2nd-degree sexual assault, strangulation and suffocation, battery, and false imprisonment.”
Both suspects were booked into the Dane County Jail on tentative charges of second-degree sexual assault with force, strangulation and suffocation, battery, and false imprisonment.
Immigration Holds/Requests in the Jail
These are the other immigration hold requests on inmates in the Dane County Jail. They are:
PEDRO JOSUE COLUNGA-MUNOZ, immigration hold listed as “request.” Physical abuse and sexual assault of a child accusations.
RAQUEL EVALYN CRUZ ENYANCHE, declined immigration hold request. Accusations of battery and resisting.
BEIKLER DAVID CRUZ LAGOS, declined immigration hold request. Held on sexual assault of a child accusations.
CARLOS REMBERTO CAYAXON GOMEZ, accusation of fleeing an officer. Immigration hold listed.
BRAYAN JOSE AMAYA PASTRANA, held on 4th offense OWI accusation. Immigration hold listed.
MARIO ALEXSE DIAZ RUBIOS, declined immigration hold request. Held on a slew of charges for stalking, domestic violence, battery, intimidate a victim, etc.
MARIO JOSE GUTIERREZ MARIM, declined immigration hold request. Resisting and operating after revocation accusations.
EDWAR ALI LOPEZ, declined immigration hold request. Theft and interference with ATM allegations.
SAUL REY GARCIA-ROSARIO, immigration hold listed. 3rd offense OWI accusation.
HUGO FRANCISCO CUADRA VIDEA, immigration hold listed. 3rd offense OWI accusation.
PEDRO AVILES GARCIA, 2nd offense OWI accusation, old case with bench warrant. Immigration hold listed.
WILLIAMS JAVIER ALBERTO MONGE, Immigration hold listed, sexual assault of a child accusation.
JULIO CESAR MORALES JARQUIN, Immigration hold “request.” Held on sexual assault accusation.
JAMIE SANCHEZ VASQUEZ, Immigration hold “request.” Ist degree recklessly endangering safety and other accusations.
ERLING ANTONIO ZAMORA-RIVERA, Declined immigration hold. Sexual assault of a child accusation.
RIGOBERTO TECALERO CEHUALATL, Immigration hold “request.” 2nd offense OWI.
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