ERO Washington, D.C. arrests Honduran national charged with child sex crimes against Virginia minor

WASHINGTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C. apprehended a Honduran national charged locally for sex crimes against a Virginia minor. Deportation officers from ERO Washington’s Mobile Criminal Apprehension Team arrested the 30-year-old Honduran noncitizen April 15 at his residence in Bladensburg, Maryland.

“This Honduran noncitizen stands accused of some very serious crimes and represented a threat to the children of the Washington, D.C. area,” said ERO Washington, D.C. Field Office Director Liana 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. ERO Washington, D.C. will continue to prioritize public safety by apprehending and removing the most egregious noncitizen threats from our neighborhoods.”

The Honduran national unlawfully entered the United States on an unknown date, at an unknown location, without being inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration official.

Virginia’s Fairfax County Police Department arrested the Honduran national July 5, 2023, and charged him with felony carnal knowledge of child 13-14 years of age: without force.

ERO Washington, D.C. placed an immigration detainer against the Honduran noncitizen with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center July 6, 2023.

The Fairfax County Adult Detention Center did not honor ERO Washington, D.C.’s immigration detainer and released the noncitizen from custody on a $10,000 bond on July 10, 2023.

The Fairfax County Police Department arrested the Honduran national again on Feb. 22, 2024, and charged him with two additional counts of felony carnal knowledge of child 13-14years of age: without force and two counts of felony indecent liberties with a child less than 15 years of age. Later that day, the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center released him from custody before ERO Washington could file an immigration detainer against him.

Deportation officers from ERO Washington, D.C.’s Mobile Criminal Apprehension Team arrested him April 15 and served him with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge. He will remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of his removal proceedings.

As part of its mission to identify and arrest removable noncitizens, ERO lodges immigration detainers against noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity and taken into custody by state or local law enforcement. An immigration detainer is a request from ICE to state or local law enforcement agencies to notify ICE as early as possible before a removable noncitizen is released from their custody. Detainers request that state or local law enforcement agencies maintain custody of the noncitizen for a period not to exceed 48 hours beyond the time the individual would otherwise be released, allowing ERO to assume custody for removal purposes in accordance with federal law.

Detainers are critical public safety tools because they focus enforcement resources on removable noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity. Detainers increase the safety of all parties involved — ERO personnel, law enforcement officials, removable noncitizens and the public — by allowing an arrest to be made in a secure and controlled custodial setting as opposed to at-large within the community. Because detainers result in the direct transfer of a noncitizen from state or local custody to ERO custody, they also minimize the potential that an individual will reoffend. Additionally, detainers conserve scarce government resources by allowing ERO to take criminal noncitizens into custody directly rather than expending resources locating these individuals at-large.

ICE focuses on arresting noncitizens who have committed crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws. ICE officers, informed by their experience and training, use their inherent discretion as law enforcement officials to focus enforcement resources on those who pose a threat to national security, public safety or border security. These efforts include noncitizens with final orders of removal. Cases amenable to federal criminal prosecution may be presented to the appropriate U.S. attorney’s office.

In fiscal year 2023, ERO arrested 73,822 noncitizens with criminal histories; this group had 290,178 associated charges and convictions with an average of four per individual. These included 33,209 assaults; 4,390 sex and sexual assaults; 7,520 weapons offenses; 1,713 charges or convictions for homicide; and 1,655 kidnapping offenses.

Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROWashington.