❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rearrested an illegal immigrant accused of kidnapping a four-year-old girl from a Long Island laundromat after a local judge released him back into the community.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Carlos Corte-Corte, a 38-year-old illegal immigrant from Ecuador; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Suffolk County Police; Suffolk County District Judge James F. Leonick; and Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The kidnapping occurred on March 28 at the Laundry Kingdom in Patchogue, Long Island. Corte-Corte was rearrested by ICE on March 31.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Sanctuary politicians must stop putting politics above public safety. This type of insanity leads to more crimes and more innocent victims.” – Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis
🎯IMPACT: The incident highlights the consequences of sanctuary policies as well as the challenges of enforcing immigration laws against repeat offenders.
Carlos Corte-Corte, an illegal immigrant from Ecuador, was rearrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on March 31 after being released from jail by a local judge despite facing serious criminal charges. The Ecuadoran national had been charged on March 28 with second-degree kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child after luring a four-year-old girl from a laundromat in Patchogue, Long Island, to a nearby park where she was found by police.
Despite the charges, Suffolk County District Judge James F. Leonick released Corte-Corte on supervised release without bond. Notably, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed that Corte-Corte had entered the U.S. illegally on at least three occasions in 2020 and had been removed three times, only to return for a fourth time.
Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis criticized the decision to release Corte-Corte, stating, “Sanctuary politicians must stop putting politics above public safety. This type of insanity leads to more crimes and more innocent victims.” She added that thanks to ICE law enforcement, Corte-Corte is now off the streets.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney expressed disagreement with the judge’s decision to release the alleged kidnapper. “I think if you look at the facts of the case, clearly they’re concerning,” Tierney said.
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