by Jennie Taer
A man who allegedly raped a teen girl, and another woman after threatening her while displaying a machete in Maryland, was in the U.S. illegally, Fox 5 reported on Friday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that the suspect, Jose Roberto Hernandez-Espinal, 20, was an illegal immigrant from El Salvador that came to the U.S. in 2013, according to Fox 5, which is a DC-Maryland based outlet. Hernandez-Espinal is accused of raping a 15-year-old at a park in Silver Spring, Maryland, just days before he raped a woman while threatening the alleged victim and her friend with a machete at the same park.
Hernandez-Espinal (pictured above) allegedly pointed the machete at one of the victim’s backs before taking her to a secluded area, raping her and stealing her jewelry before fleeing the scene, according to Fox5.
Hernandez-Espinal was arrested and charged on Tuesday for the alleged rape and for allegedly robbing the victim’s friend, according to Fox5. He allegedly threatened the two with a machete and tried to steal their phones. He is charged with first-degree rape, kidnapping and armed robbery, according to Fox5.
Illegal immigration has reached record highs in recent years. In fiscal year 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded more than 2.3 million migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Between October 2022 and April, CBP recorded more than 1.4 million migrant encounters. Migrant encounters reached 211,401 in April alone.
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Jennie Taer is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Background Photo “Courtroom” by Carol M. Highsmith.
