(Headline USA) This week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that it arrested an illegal immigrant who was charged with felony rape, but released from custody by a sanctuary city in Virginia.
The Honduran national has been apprehended three times since June 2021, when U.S. Border Patrol first encountered him near Roma, Texas. He was released and issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge.
On July 20, 2023, authorities in Herndon, Virginia arrested the illegal again and charged him with felony rape by force, threat, or intimidation. He was also charged with abduction by force and assault on a family member.
ICE then issued a detainer for him so that he could go through deportation proceedings. But Fairfax County, which considers itself a “sanctuary” district, refused to work with federal immigration officers and released the accused rapist without informing Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Finally, ICE tracked down the immigrant last month and said he will remain in custody while he awaits the outcome of the Justice Department’s deportation proceedings.
NEW: An illegal immigrant from Honduras who was released into the US after being apprehended by Border Patrol in TX in June 2021 is now charged with felony rape & abduction by force in Virginia. He was arrested by local police there, but the Fairfax County jail didn’t honor ICE’s…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) November 7, 2023
“This undocumented Honduran national has proven to be a detriment to our community and a threat to Virginia residents,” ERO Washington, D.C. Field Office Director Russell Hott said in a statement. “ERO Washington remains committed to apprehending criminals who are released back into the local population when a detainer is not honored. We will not allow such noncitizen offenders to roam free and victimize innocent people.”
The report comes as other sanctuary cities in the country increase their protections for illegal immigrants, despite complaints from residents and officials that the migration crisis is draining these cities of their resources.
Just this week, the New York City Council approved a “bill of rights” for illegals, which will “empower immigrant workers to have the knowledge they need to earn what they’re owed and support themselves and their families,” according to City Councilor Shahana Hanif.
