US official defends critical characterization of immigrant; juvenile court papers shed light on case

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

The Department of Homeland Security is defending its characterization of a man seeking legal residency but facing deportation.
Spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said it's "completely appropriate" to publicize the sexual misdeeds levied against Jair Celis and outlined in Salt Lake County juvenile court records.
Celis' attorney rebuffs McLaughlin's characterization and says the juvenile matter isn't germane in Celis' immigration case.

SALT LAKE CITY — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security fired off a testy response Thursday in connection with the case of the man detained last week during a scheduled hearing with immigration authorities as he vies to normalize his migratory status.

Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the department, also supplied what she called "criminal records" related to Jair Celis' alleged sexual misdeeds when he was 17 and rebuffed the contention the case was a juvenile court matter. She didn't specify where the Dec. 12, 2014, document came from, but the Murray Police Department described it as booking paperwork. It indicates that Celis was being investigated for suspicion of sodomy on a child and sexual abuse of a child.

"Because you refuse to do your own research, we can provide you the criminal records. These charges were not filed as a juvenile arrest. DHS stands by arresting a sodomite and child abuser, and we believe it was completely appropriate to alert the public about one less sicko off America's streets. Get a grip," reads McLaughlin's message to KSL.

Celis was detained last week at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Offices in Salt Lake City at what was supposed to be an appointment as part of his efforts to secure legal permanent residency. Queried on Monday on the matter, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Celis, who's from Mexico, had been arrested because he overstayed the original visa allowing him entry into the United States in July 2007, when he was 10.

Amid the ongoing crackdown by the Trump administration on illegal immigration, Celis' arrest figured in a demonstration outside the Citizenship and Immigration Services offices on Monday by immigrant advocates worried about an uptick in enforcement action at the offices. Immigrants trying to normalize their migratory status go to the facility at 660 S. 200 East for appointments with U.S. immigration officials.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, on Thursday defended her critical characterization of an immigrant seeking residency while juvenile court records shed some light on the matter. McLaughlin is shown in an official photo. (Photo: U.S. Department of Homeland Security)

Then on Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security wrote a bombshell post on X calling Celis, now 29, "a sodomite and child abuser" and a "predator." "Here are the facts: Jair Celis Lecuona has a criminal history for sodomy of a child and sexual abuse of a child," reads the post. The department had previously made no mention to KSL of the allegations. McLaughlin's statement on Thursday came in response to queries about the social media post.

One of Celis' attorneys, Adam Crayk, reacted angrily on Wednesday, saying that because the matter was handled in juvenile court, and the case isn't germane in Celis' efforts to normalize his migratory status. Celis, facing deportation, is now married to an American woman. Crayk also said he was considering the possibility of suing the Department of Homeland Security for libel.

Shelby Lofton, KSL-TV

As for what actually happened in the juvenile matter, records supplied to KSL by the 3rd District Juvenile Court, which serves Salt Lake County, show that Celis was ultimately adjudicated in the case on Feb. 24, 2015, for lewdness involving a child under 14. For an adult, that's a class A misdemeanor, but KSL legal analyst and Salt Lake City attorney Greg Skordas said juvenile cases are distinct from cases involving adults.

"Juvenile adjudications are not criminal. There is no right to a jury trial and other procedural rights from our Constitution. Because of that they are quasi-civil in nature. There is also no chance of going to jail or prison for a juvenile adjudication," Skordas said. "In juvenile court there is no 'guilty or not guilty.' The minor 'admits or denies' the allegations."

According to the court papers supplied to KSL, the lewdness involving a child under 14 allegation was reduced from a sexual abuse of a child allegation, which is a second-degree felony for an adult. He was instructed to get counseling and placed on home detention for an unspecified period of time in connection with the matter. The first allegation, blacked out in court papers supplied to KSL, was apparently dropped because the records show Celis was adjudicated on just the lewdness allegation.

While juvenile courts differ in how they handle people versus courts for adults, that doesn't mean something didn't happen in the Celis case. According to the court papers supplied to KSL, Celis, 17 at the time, knew the girl in question from church. As described in the court papers, Celis and the girl, younger than 14, engaged in sexual activity at Celis' prompting and insistence, sometimes at church facilities, making the girl uncomfortable. Crayk said the two were boyfriend and girlfriend at the time, though purported consent is less relevant or not relevant in cases of sexual misdeeds involving those under 18.

A hearing is set for Friday in Celis' immigration case. In the meantime, he's being held at the San Luis Regional Detention Center in San Luis, Arizona, located on the border with Mexico.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.