An illegal immigrant, who crossed into the country back in 2014 was arrested by Border Patrol, released and skipped his immigration hearings, has been arrested in New York in connection with the rape of a 5-year-old girl.
Wilson Castillo Diaz, 26, arrived in Texas through the Rio Grande Valley as a teen and later made his way to New York. He is originally from Honduras.
"Democrats say there's nothing wrong with letting kids in, [but] this defendant came in as a teenager," Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican, told Fox News Digital. "He was 16 years old when he came in, illegally, to America, and now he's been hiding from the authorities for quite some time and commits this heinous act against a young girl. It's out of control."
Nassau County Police said in a statement that the girl was hospitalized after the attack, which took place on Oct. 16.
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"He came in in 2014, under the Obama administration, and he was released," Blakeman said. "He never showed up for any of his hearings. He's been loose in the United States. Who knows what else he’s done?"
Police arrested Diaz on Oct. 22 and made the announcement Thursday after confirming his immigration status and notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Blakeman went on to blast sanctuary policies that have allowed people like Diaz to remain in the U.S. for so long without fear of deportation. He added the Biden-Harris administration has shown a "total lack of respect" for both the U.S. border and the law enforcement agents whose job is to secure it.
"We've got to get tough in securing our borders, and we've got to deport the people who came in illegally and send them back home," he said.
Diaz is being held on $200,000 bail on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree attempted rape and endangering the welfare of a child.
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Diaz was living in Westbury, New York, about 30 miles east of New York City.
Authorities planned to hold a news briefing Friday morning to deliver additional information.
Migrant crime has become a hot button issue ahead of next week's presidential election, with former President Donald Trump's campaign pointing to some of the most egregious cases of violence this year alone.
Congressional hearings have hosted the mothers of murder victims to testify on Capitol Hill after their daughters were killed at the hands of illegal immigrants.
During one hearing, Democratic New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler was accused of dozing off after dismissing the proceedings as "one more partisan hearing designed to divide us and to score political points before an election."
That was a month before the attack on the 5-year-old in his home state.
