The case of a Cuban with a long history of arrests in North Carolina returned to the spotlight this week, this time as an electoral weapon for Republicans against Roy Cooper, the Democratic Senate candidate for that state.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released a statement on Wednesday in which it used the case of Esteban Vasallo Corteguera, 48, a resident of Cullowhee, to question the immigration policy that Cooper maintained during his years as governor.
According to the NRSC, Corteguera was arrested in Franklin on a drug-related charge and has accumulated accusations that include first-degree kidnapping, aggravated assault with serious injury, possession with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, obstruction of justice, and the sale of controlled substances, among others.
Corteguera's problems with the authorities in North Carolina date back at least to 2019 and continued in the following years. According to The Sylva Herald, he was arrested in August 2019 for possession of prescription medications and a Schedule II controlled substance. A record published by The Macon County News shows that he was arrested again on November 3, 2020, this time for possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or distribute a Schedule II controlled substance, in addition to other drug-related charges.
Republicans now argue that cases like that of Corteguera demonstrate the consequences of Cooper's vetoes on initiatives aimed at requiring local sheriffs to cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Cooper vetoed projects of this kind in 2019 and 2022. In 2024, he vetoed legislation that included mandatory cooperation with ICE once again, although the General Assembly ultimately overrode his veto and the measure came into effect. Supporters of these initiatives argued that they strengthened public safety, while Cooper maintained in previous vetoes that the legislation exploited immigration for political purposes and that authorities could already arrest and prosecute individuals accused of serious crimes regardless of their immigration status.
“Corteguera is simply another dangerous criminal, an illegal immigrant that Roy Cooper fought to protect from deportation,” stated Nick Puglia, regional press secretary of the NRSC, in a statement that is part of the Republican electoral offensive.
The case was included in "Roy Cooper's Worst of the Worst Wednesday," a series launched by the NRSC in May that uses cases of immigrants with criminal records to politically hold the former governor accountable for his decisions regarding immigration cooperation.
The offensive comes as Cooper competes with Republican Michael Whatley for the Senate seat that Thom Tillis will leave vacant in the November elections.
A survey from Carolina Journal published this Thursday shows Cooper with 49.2% among likely voters, compared to 34.1% for Whatley, while 12.3% remain undecided. The poll, conducted by Harper Polling between September 13 and 15 among 608 likely voters, has a margin of error of ±3.97 percentage points.
Cubans with criminal records have previously appeared in Republican campaigns focused on immigration and border security, while the detentions of Cuban migrants by ICE have increased during the current Donald Trump administration.
Related videos:
Filed under: