ICE arrested an illegal alien who allegedly kidnapped a four-year-old girl from a New York laundromat and was later released by a judge, according to a federal statement Tuesday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended Carlos Corte-Corte, a criminal illegal alien from Ecuador, March 31 and began removal proceedings against him, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a press release. Corte-Corte came into the U.S. illegally at least three times in 2020 and was removed every time, officials said. He allegedly re-entered the U.S. illegally on a fourth occasion at an unknown location and time. (RELATED: 7-Year-Old Boy Drowns Near Park Trying To Help Friend, Family Says)
Police arrested Corte-Corte on March 28 after he allegedly led the four-year-old girl out of a Patchogue laundromat’s rear exit unbeknownst to her mother at 12:08 p.m., according to a Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) release. The child’s mother alleged she was missing, and police answered the call before reviewing surveillance footage and searching the area. The mother found her child in the Patchogue-Medford Library’s children’s play area. A cop found Corte-Corte near the laundromat and placed him in custody as a suspect.
He was charged with second-degree kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child as well as on an active warrant, the SCPD said. A judge granted Corte-Corte supervised release on a GPS monitor during his arraignment at the First District Court, according to the New York Post.
Corte-Corte’s attorney spoke on his behalf during his arraignment at Central Islip’s First District Court. “Your honor my client has had zero interaction with law enforcement. We’re asking for a release on his own recognizance. He thought the girl lived alone without parents,” his lawyer, Suffolk County legal aid attorney Alexandra Dyroff, said.
“He took her to the library and told an employee there as such but there was a language barrier. It seems to be a mistake,” she alleged.
The owner of the laundromat alleged that security video showed Corte-Corte speaking with the little girl for several minutes in the rear area of the store. “The mom ran out and actually caught him at the library. The cops were called, when they got there [Corte] told police ‘she didn’t have parents,’” the owner, identified only as Steve, told the New York Post.
DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis praised ICE for arresting Corte-Corte, according to the DHS press release.
“This three-time deported criminal illegal alien, Carlos Corte-Corte, kidnapped an innocent four-year-old girl from a laundromat on Long Island. New York sanctuary politicians chose to release this kidnapper from jail to prey on more innocent children rather than cooperate with ICE law enforcement,” Bis said.
“Sanctuary politicians must stop putting politics above public safety. This type of insanity leads to more crimes and more innocent victims. Thanks to our ICE law enforcement, this sicko is off our streets,” she continued.