A Virginia family endured a harrowing experience recently when a man reportedly broke into a Fairfax County apartment and attempted to abduct a young girl sleeping inside.
According to authorities, the suspect is a 24-year-old undocumented immigrant who, because of the county’s sanctuary policies, had been repeatedly shielded from prosecution and deportation due to his illegal status.
Hyrum Baquedano Rodriguez of Honduras was subsequently arrested and faces charges including burglary and attempted kidnapping. Investigators say he left behind fingerprints that led them to identify him as the suspect.
According to the 4-year-old girl’s mother, she heard the child crying and went into her room to find out what was wrong. The girl allegedly said that a man grabbed her before running away.
BREAKING UPDATE: A man accused of breaking into an Annandale apartment and attempting to kidnap a 4-year-old girl was in the country illegally, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
ICE officials say Hyrum Baquedano-Rodriguez is a national of Honduras and… https://t.co/Ehlz7oxuYL
— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) June 26, 2023
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement records indicate, Rodriguez should not have been in the United States in the first place. He reportedly crossed the southern border into Arizona in 2018, at which point he was issued a notice by border officials to appear in court.
A judge set bail in the case at $15,000 and Rodriguez was able to secure his release from federal custody the following January.
Since then, ICE agents had contacted authorities in Fairfax County on at least four separate occasions in an attempt to take Rodriguez into custody and begin the deportation process. Policies in place to protect undocumented immigrants effectively prevented his arrest each time.
In light of the latest charges against him, ICE officials have once again requested that he be placed in the agency’s custody.
Many Republican lawmakers at the local, state, and national level have railed against sanctuary laws in recent years, insisting that they make American communities more dangerous.
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who is currently among the contenders vying for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, joined forces with other Senate Republicans to push for the passage of the Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act earlier this year.
“Sanctuary cities have emboldened criminals and endangered American citizens, and it is wrong that our taxpayers are being forced to foot the bill for this reprehensible policy,” he said at the time. “This legislation will bring commonsense back to the table by eliminating taxpayer grants to these criminal safe havens and empowering law enforcement to protect our communities.”
