A Guatemalan immigrant residing illegally in the United States has been charged with the rape of a 5-year-old girl he was babysitting in Long Island, New York, federal authorities announced on Thursday.
Carlos Aguilar Reynoso faces multiple charges, including predatory sexual assault against a child, sexual abuse, engaging in conduct harmful to a child, and resisting arrest, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Initially, Reynoso was charged solely with child endangerment. However, local law enforcement sought assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain him while they gathered sufficient evidence to pursue more serious charges.
The 27-year-old was reportedly caring for the young girl as a favor to her mother. Upon returning from work on February 1, the girl’s mother found her daughter bleeding and immediately took her to the hospital, authorities reported.
Following the accusation of sexually assaulting the child, Reynoso was apprehended by immigration officials and issued a final deportation order. The Department of Homeland Security released a statement expressing the urgency of the situation.
“While local law enforcement processed DNA evidence and built their case, they reached out to ICE to ensure this predator was not released back into our communities, where he could victimize more innocent children,” stated Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.
“On March 16, ICE transferred this monster to local law enforcement to face justice for his reprehensible crimes,” she added.
Carlos Aguilar Reynoso, 27, was arrested by immigration authorities and issued a final removal order after being accused of raping a 5-year-old girl on Long Island. (Department of Homeland Security/Getty Images)
ICE took Reynoso into custody on Feb. 2 as he was coming out of a police precinct, where he appeared for a desk ticket on the child endangerment charge, the New York Post previously reported.
ICE detained the suspect early at the request of local authorities while they gathered evidence, and he has since been turned over for prosecution and ordered deported. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He was turned over to local authorities on March 16. A federal immigration judge issued a deportation order for Reynoso on the same day.
Authorities don’t know when he illegally entered the United States, but DHS noted that seven of the 10 safest cities cooperate with ICE.
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