Federal immigration officials have apprehended a migrant sex offender who is in the country illegally. This individual had recently completed a jail sentence for molesting a child and was released back into the community.
Raymond Rojas Basilio, 36, was apprehended on Tuesday at his residence in Queens by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This occurred nearly three months after he completed a brief prison term for the crime of child molestation involving a victim under the age of 11.
Basilio, a Mexican national who had repeatedly entered the US illegally for several decades, was held in prison following his arrest in August 2023. After serving a 60-day sentence, he was released on September 20th, according to records.
On November 13, he was briefly detained, although the reason for this remains unclear.
According to ICE, the city released him before they could file a detainer request, and they attributed the lack of notification to the local sanctuary policies.
“Unfortunately, non-cooperation policies prevented ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations] from taking immediate custody of this individual upon completion of his local sentence,” the New York division of ICE said in a statement.
“As this case illustrates, it only takes one successful unlawful entry to do irreparable harm to a member of our community,” the agency added.
Detainers are requests made by ICE to hold detainees who are suspected of being in the country illegally. Although the city is not obligated to hold someone without a detainer, its sanctuary policies also restrict investigators from inquiring about immigration status or collaborating with immigration officials in numerous instances.
If such policies were not in place, the agencies might have communicated with each other and the suspect would not have had the opportunity to escape from law enforcement.
According to a spokesperson from the Department of Corrections, the agency follows local law when it comes to processing ICE detainers and determining the level of cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
According to ICE, Basilio attempted to enter the country illegally over the southern border on three separate occasions as early as 2002. In 2012, he was encountered by border agents two more times before being deported back to Mexico.
The exact time and place of his arrival in the country remain a mystery.
“The arrest of Raymond Rojas Basilio underscores the failures of sanctuary city laws and open-border policies,” said Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens).
“Despite being stopped multiple times over 20 years, he was ultimately able to enter illegally and commit a horrific crime against a child in our community,” he added. “ICE did commendable work in apprehending him, but their job should not be this difficult. We must repeal sanctuary city laws to ensure public safety and prevent further tragedies.”
According to Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens), the recent arrest of Raymond Rojas Basilio highlights the shortcomings of sanctuary city laws and open-border policies.
“He was able to enter illegally and commit a horrifying crime against a child in our community, despite being stopped multiple times over a span of 20 years,” he stated. “The apprehension work done by ICE is commendable, but it should not be such a challenging task. To ensure public safety and prevent more tragic incidents, it is crucial that we repeal sanctuary city laws.”
Councilwoman Joann Ariola from Queens expressed her belief that the existence of monsters like this is precisely why sanctuary policies should be put to an end.
“People like Raymond Rojas Basilio are taking advantage of policies cooked up by out-of-touch progressive state lawmakers and now an innocent child has been irreparably harmed,” she said. “This needs to end – ICE needs to get in here and start deporting criminals before any more people are hurt.”
Councilman Joe Borelli (R. Staten Island) said the suspect’s face should hand “like a scarlet letter” on campaign ads and posters.
“He added that by prohibiting the NYPD from collaborating with ICE, it only aids individuals like this scumbag.”