Violent Crime and Child Protection

The Department of Homeland Security is publicizing how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement worked with Long Island police to detain 27‑year‑old Guatemalan national Carlos Aguilar Reynoso, accused of raping a 5‑year‑old girl he was babysitting on Feb. 1, despite New York’s sanctuary and bail‑reform laws that would normally bar ICE from custody transfers and require release on the initial charge. According to DHS and local reports, the child’s mother found her daughter bleeding through her underwear, and the girl required surgery and a rape kit at a specialty hospital. Because DNA evidence was still pending, Reynoso was first charged only with endangering the welfare of a child, an offense that did not permit bail under state law, so police issued a desk‑appearance ticket and released him from the precinct, where ICE agents immediately arrested him as he walked out. After DNA results allegedly tied him to the assault, local prosecutors filed more serious counts, including predatory sexual assault against a child and sexual abuse, and DHS says an immigration judge has now issued a final removal order. DHS officials are using the case to argue that local cooperation with ICE makes communities safer and to criticize sanctuary policies, while immigrant‑rights advocates online are questioning whether the department is selectively publicizing horrific crimes to justify broader crackdowns.