ICE Detainer In Child Rape Case Will Be Followed By County

GERMANTOWN, MD — Two Montgomery County men accused of raping an 11-year-old girl are behind bars, according to authorities.

Mauricio Anto Barrera-Navidad, 29, of Damascus, and Carlos Ernesto Palacios-Amaya, 28, of Gaithersburg, have been charged with second-degree rape. The pair met the 11-year-old girl through her older brother, district court documents show.

The reported incidents — court documents note — occurred in Germantown in July 2018, and between September 2018 and October 2018. Palacios-Amaya is accused of raping the child on multiple occasions — and, at one point, taking out his cellphone to record the assault.

In a statement released Wednesday, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich confirmed the arrests, saying the two men are undocumented immigrants. After determining the pair were in the country illegally, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement asked that Montgomery County officials notify ICE when the pair is released from custody.

Elrich said he told federal agents that the county will comply with ICE's request.

"This alleged crime is horrible, and I am confident that justice will be served in this case," Elrich said.

His announcement comes less than a month after he signed "The Promoting Community Trust Executive Order."

The executive order, which Elrich signed in response to a federal crackdown on illegal immigration, aims to eliminate any collaboration between county law enforcement officers and federal immigration authorities. It prohibits county police officers from asking residents about their immigration status and working with ICE — the agency behind multiple nationwide sweeps to deport undocumented immigrants.

"The new Promoting Community Trust Executive Order has not changed the County's policy on cooperating with ICE requests for notification of the release of individuals charged with serious crimes," Elrich said on Wednesday. "The County's Department of Correction and Rehabilitation will notify ICE if the suspects become eligible for release, but until then they will remain in our custody until the local legal process is complete."

He added that the county is a welcoming and accepting community to all.

"Montgomery County is a welcoming community that values the diversity of communities that are made up of people from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and nations, Elrich said. "We want the people of Montgomery County to know that our law enforcement and other support agencies are vigilant in enforcing local laws, rules, and regulations. We believe that being a welcoming community to the people who live and work here creates a stronger relationship between communities and our law enforcement agencies, which make our communities safer."

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• Collaboration Between MoCo Police, ICE Ends By Executive Order