is/was

1)The person whom John was talking with <is> Mike.


2)The person who was arrested in connection with the case <was> a male Peruvian migrant worker.


"is" is used in the 1 sentence to signify that the past things occur: John was talking with a person and the person was Mike.

However, in the 2 sentence, "was" is also used to signify the past things occur: a person was arrested and the person was a male Peruvian migrant worker.


What is the difference between "is" and "was" i n these sentences.

I think that both signify the past occurrences.


Please tell me:)