Honduran national convicted in child rape sentenced to federal prison for re-entry after deportation
PHILADELPHIA — On Tuesday, Feb. 26, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced the sentencing of a Honduran man, currently serving a sentence of eight to 20 years in state prison for the raping a child, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers.
Juan Ramon-Vasquez, 51, was sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment, to be served consecutive to his state sentence, for his federal crime of illegal reentry to the United States after deportation. In May 2009, Ramon-Vasquez was deported from the United States to Honduras. In March 2014, he was encountered by ERO officers in the custody of the Philadelphia Department of Prisons.
The City of Philadelphia chose not to comply with a detainer lodged by ICE for Ramon-Vasquez, who was instead released from custody by the Philadelphia Department of Prisons. After his release, Ramon-Vasquez proceeded to repeatedly rape a young child. The defendant is currently serving a sentence of eight to 20 years in state prison for the rapes.
“ICE attempted to remove Ramon-Vasquez once before in March 2014, but the City of Philadelphia refused to honor our detainer and he was released back into the community,” said Simona L. Flores, field office director for ERO Philadelphia. “Today’s sentencing is a testament to ICE and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s resolve to seek out, arrest, charge and remove dangerous criminals like Ramon-Vasquez who pose a serious threat to our community.”
“The facts of this case illustrate all too well the direct threat to public safety caused by the City of Philadelphia’s sanctuary city policies,” said U.S. Attorney William McSwain. “After the City let this criminal loose on the streets of Philadelphia, Ramon-Vasquez repeatedly raped his girlfriend’s daughter over an 18-month period. If the ICE detainer had been honored by local law enforcement, this crime never would have happened, and the victim – an innocent child – would have been spared horrendous physical and mental trauma. Criminals like Ramon-Vasquez take note: my Office will do everything in its power to find you, to protect our community, and to seek justice for your victims. Unlike the Philadelphia government, we are not on your side.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Josh Davison.
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