Maryland jail releases convicted sex offender illegal immigrant despite ICE detainer

A Guatemalan national convicted of major sex crimes against a Maryland minor was released by Baltimore County Corrections, despite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) request to keep him detained.

ICE said in a press release that Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Baltimore’s Fugitive Operations Team arrested 25-year-old Raul Calderon-Interiano near his home in Baltimore on Saturday.

Calderon-Interiano was first encountered by U.S. Border Patrol agents as an unaccompanied minor on June 19, 2014, near Laredo, Texas, after he entered illegally.

The border patrol issued Calderon-Interiano a notice to appear before a U.S. Department of Justice immigration judge, and days later, he was transferred into custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement in San Antonio, Texas.

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Raul Calderon-Interiano, who was in the U.S. illegally, was convicted of sex crimes in Baltimore and released, despite a detainer from ICE. (ICE)

On Nov. 8, 2014, he was released into the custody of a sponsor who lived in Maryland.

Nearly a year later, on Oct. 8, 2015, an immigration judge ordered Calderon-Interiano to be removed from the U.S. and sent back to Guatemala, though he did not appear at the sentencing.

Calderon-Interiano resurfaced on Jan. 23, 2023, when the Baltimore County Police Department arrested and charged him with sexual abuse of a minor, attempted sexual abuse of a minor, third-degree attempted sex offense, third-degree sex offense, and two counts of second-degree assault.

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Raul Calderon-Interiano, who was in the U.S. illegally, was convicted of sex crimes in Baltimore and released, despite a detainer from ICE. (ICE)

After his arrest, ICE ERO Baltimore lodged an immigration detainer against Calderon-Interiano with the Baltimore County Detention Center.

He was ultimately convicted of a fourth-degree sex offense and second-degree assault on April 10, 2024, and sentenced to six years in prison followed by five years of probation.

But the court suspended all the prison time and ordered him to register as a Tier 1 sex offender.

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An El Salvadoran citizen with multiple arrests was taken into custody last month by federal immigration officials. (ICE)

At an unknown date after sentencing, the Baltimore County Detention Center released Calderon-Interiano from custody, refusing to honor ERO Baltimore’s immigration detainer.

"Baltimore County remains committed to promoting public safety policies while also respecting the constitutional rights of individuals," a spokesperson for Baltimore County told Fox News Digital. "Baltimore County has and continues to notify ICE when the National Criminal Identification Center shows a civil detainer and continues to hold individuals with a criminal warrant signed by a judge."

Ero Baltimore’s fugitive operations team tracked Calderon-Interiano down at his residence in Baltimore on May 29 and took him back into custody and transported him to the Baltimore field office where he was processed.

He will remain in ICE custody until he is removed from the U.S.

BIDEN ORDER TO BLOCK MOST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHEN CROSSINGS SURGE, AS ELECTION NEARS

President Joe Biden walks off Tuesday at the White House after speaking about his executive order to enact immediate significant restrictions on migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The White House on Tuesday announced long-awaited executive actions to stop illegal immigrants at the southern border claiming asylum if crossings reach a certain level — a move coming just months before the November election and that could soon see a legal challenge from activists.

Biden is issuing a presidential proclamation that will temporarily suspend the entry of non-citizens across the southern border once the number of average border encounters exceeds 2,500 a day over seven days, officials said. That will stay in effect until 14 days after there has been a seven-day average of less than 1,500 encounters along the border. Officials said it would make it easier for immigration officers to quickly remove individuals who do not have a legal basis to remain in the U.S.

The order includes a number of exceptions for those coming across the border. It will not apply to visa holders, unaccompanied children, victims of a "severe form" of trafficking, as well as those who face an acute medical emergency or an imminent threat to life or safety. It also does not apply to those seeking entry to the U.S. via ports of entry using the CBP One app — of which around 1,500 migrants are allowed each day.

It is expected to take place immediately, and will be accompanied by a joint rule restricting asylum eligibility during high border encounters that will be issued by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.

Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

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