Illegal immigrant with 5 felony child sex crimes charges in ICE custody after Virginia authorities released him twice

The man, whose name has not yet been publicly released, is a 30-year-old illegal alien from Honduras. He was arrested on April 15 at his residence in Bladensburg, Maryland.

ICE said in a press release that Fairfax County, Virginia did not honor the agency's immigration detainer and released the man from jail two times despite multiple felony child sex crime charges.

On July 5, 2023, the man was arrested by Fairfax County police and charged with felony carnal knowledge of a child 13-14 years of age without force, said ICE.

Then on July 6, 2023, ICE placed an immigration detainer on the suspect, which was not honored, and he was released from the Fairfax County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond on July 10, 2023, according to the agency.

He was arrested again by Fairfax County police on Feb. 22, 2024, and charged with two additional counts of felony carnal knowledge of a child 13-14 years of age without force and two counts of felony indecent liberties with a child less than 15 years of age.

According to ICE, he was released from jail on the same day before ERO Washington could file a detainer request.

After being taken into custody by deportation officers on April 15, the individual will be kept in ICE custody until the conclusion of his removal proceedings, the press release said.

Liana Castano, ERO Washington, DC field officer director, slammed the jurisdiction's sanctuary policies for illegal immigrants, asserting that they "endanger" everyone in the community.

"This Honduran noncitizen stands accused of some very serious crimes and represented a threat to the children of the Washington, DC area," said Castano. "When local jurisdictions have policies in place which prohibit them from cooperating with ICE ERO and from honoring our lawfully issued detainers and administrative warrants, they put the suspects, law enforcement officers, and most importantly, the members of our local communities at risk."

The date on which he illegally entered the US remains unknown, according to the press release.

A spokesperson for the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office told 8 News, "The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office has consistently told Immigration and Customs Enforcement that an administrative detainer is not sufficient to hold an inmate past their release date in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center."

"The Sheriff’s Office has informed ICE that a judicial immigration warrant is needed to effectuate a transfer to ICE custody," the spokesperson said. "At the time the inmate was ordered to be released, the Sheriff’s Office had no outstanding judicial warrants on file. He was therefore released pursuant to the court order as was required by law."

In fiscal year 2023, ERO apprehended 73,822 illegal aliens with criminal history, totaling 290,178 charges and convictions, with an average of four per person. These included 33,209 assaults, 4,390 sex and sexual assaults, 7,520 weapon offenses, 1,713 homicide charges or convictions, and 1,655 kidnapping offenses, according to ICE data.