DHS urges New York not to release illegal immigrant accused of rape

Federal immigration officials are urging New York authorities not to release a 59-year-old Salvadoran national accused of raping a 16-year-old girl on Long Island, warning that he should be turned over to ICE if released from local custody.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Thursday that it lodged an immigration detainer against Aureliano Antonio Melendez Reyes, who is charged in Suffolk County with rape, sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.

According to prosecutors and DHS, the alleged assault occurred on June 6 as the girl was walking home in Huntington.

Authorities said Reyes repeatedly approached the girl and asked for her phone number. After she refused, he allegedly forced her into an alley and sexually assaulted her.

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The girl was eventually able to break free and call 911 while running from Reyes, who was allegedly chasing her, according to DHS.

Responding officers took Reyes into custody.

“The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement.

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“A 16-year-old girl should be able to walk safely without being targeted, pursued, and brutally assaulted. My office will continue to vigorously prosecute defendants who pose serious threats to our community’s safety, especially our children.”

According to DHS, Reyes entered the United States illegally at an unknown date and location and was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in 1998.

“This sexual predator NEVER should have been in our country and able to prey on this innocent girl,” DHS acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.

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“DHS is calling on Governor Kathy Hochul and her fellow sanctuary politicians in New York to commit to not releasing this criminal illegal alien from jail and to turn him over to ICE,” Bis continued. 

“New York sanctuary politicians must not release criminals from jail into New York communities,” she added.

DHS said New York jurisdictions have released nearly 7,000 criminal illegal immigrants since Jan. 20, 2025.

Many of those individuals were accused of violent crimes, including homicide, assault, burglary and drug offenses, according to the agency.

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DHS also said more than 7,000 individuals currently in New York custody are the subject of active federal immigration detainers.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Hochul’s office and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office for comment.