Senators Jerry Moran, Pat Roberts and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley called on the Department of Homeland Security to provide answers following a criminal case involving Tomas Martinez-Maldonado. Martinez-Maldonado, a Mexico native, who was arrested months ago in Geary County on a charge of child rape.
The office of Senator Moran says that these senators have formally written a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, requesting Martinez-Maldonado’s full criminal and immigration history. They inquire about why he was able to re-enter and remain in the country several times despite his unlawful status and previous felony conviction for illegal re-entry into the United States.
Background on this story follows.
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(October 8, 2016) JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (AP) Authorities say a man from Mexico who has been deported several times faces charges accusing him of raping a child in Kansas.
Tomas Martinez-Maldonado is jailed in Geary County on $100,000 bond on a charge of raping a child under the age of 14 last month. Public defender Cole Hawver declined to comment Friday. The public defender’s office was appointed to represent Martinez-Maldonado during his first appearance Thursday.
The Kansas Bureau of Information says he was taken into custody in late September in Missouri, where authorities alerted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE said Friday that Martinez-Maldonado has been deported back to Mexico 10 times since 2010. ICE also says he’s a priority for deportation when his Kansas case is completed.
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