A Guatemalan migrant, residing unlawfully in the United States, was apprehended by Utah law enforcement on Monday following allegations of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl.
The accused, 26-year-old Jonathan Estuardo Ruano Garcia, is being detained at Utah County jail, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placing a detainer on him.
The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday evening when the victim’s mother came home to find an adult male leaving her apartment. According to police records upon entering her apartment, she discovered her daughter undressed in the hallway. The young girl told her mother that she had been sexually assaulted by a man she had met online.
Law enforcement officials managed to identify Ruano Garcia through the girl’s social media history and subsequently arrested him at his residence. During questioning, the accused confessed to sexually assaulting the minor for approximately 20-30 minutes. He also admitted to sending explicit images to the minor on multiple occasions.
In addition to the sexual assault charges, Ruano Garcia is facing a forgery charge. The police report indicates that he possessed a counterfeit social security card, which he admitted to purchasing after arriving in the United States.
Local news station KSL first reported the arrest. The Utah County prosecutor’s office has scheduled his initial court appearance for Friday, although court documents have yet to be filed.
This case adds to a growing list of severe crimes committed by illegal immigrants, many of whom had previously been arrested for minor offenses and released by sanctuary jurisdictions refusing to cooperate with ICE.
Earlier this month, ICE arrested nearly 300 convicted sex offenders who were illegal immigrants. Other recent cases include an illegal immigrant who allegedly shot three police officers in Washington, D.C., and another who was convicted of felony DUI but remained in the country, where he later killed an 8-year-old boy while driving under the influence.
In Louisiana, another illegal immigrant was arrested on Sunday for allegedly raping a 14-year-old and stabbing someone in the face. These incidents highlight the challenges faced by local law enforcement in policing illegal immigrants due to issues such as lack of access to data, false identification, and language barriers.
