Republicans are blaming President Joe Biden after a migrant allegedly raped a disabled 15-year-old girl in a shelter in Massachusetts.
Haitian national Cory B. Alvarez, 26, is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on March 22, after pleading not guilty on Thursday in Hingham District Court to one count of aggravated rape of a child. The incident occurred in Rockland, at a hotel used by the state to shelter migrants, and resulted in Alvarez being ordered to surrender his passport and have no contact with the victim.
Biden, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the overall administration have received a swath of criticism and even impeachment attempts from countless Republicans due to annual increases in illegal immigration since Biden took office—with blame escalating recently after the death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was allegedly murdered by an illegal migrant, and other similar cases nationwide.
"Biden flew this illegal dirtbag into our Country," Tennessee Republican Representative Tim Burchett wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "No border, no budget. Shut it down."
A DHS official told Newsweek that at the time the alleged offender entered the U.S. legally, he was screened and vetted against national security and public safety databases, and no derogatory information was available.
"@SenSchumer are you ready for the impeachment trial of Mayorkas yet?" wrote Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling out Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. "How many innocent Americans have to be murdered, raped, or attacked before you are willing to take our border security seriously?"
"A Haitian man was just arrested for raping a 15-year-old disabled girl," Texas Congressman Troy Nehls said. "The Biden Administration flew him into our country and released him on parole. Enough is enough, Joe."
A spokesperson for Plymouth County declined to comment to Newsweek.
Newsweek reached out to Rockland police and the White House via phone and email for comment.
"The Department cannot comment on ongoing criminal proceedings beyond the standard information provided by ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement]," a DHS spokesperson told Newsweek. "That said, the alleged crime is heinous. Individuals should be held responsible to the fullest extent under the law."
DHS screens and vets individuals prior to U.S. entry, the official added, and if an individual poses a threat to national security or public safety, admission is denied. They may also be detained, removed or referred to other federal agencies for further vetting, investigation and/or prosecution as appropriate.
Individuals are paroled into the U.S. from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela on a case-by-case basis, often for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit consistent with U.S. law—and they must have a U.S.-based financial supporter, pass vetting and background checks, including biometric vetting, and meet other established criteria, in order to be eligible to come to the U.S. for a period of two years and receive work authorization.
That includes screening and vetting before receiving travel authorization. They are responsible for arranging their own travel and buying their own commercial airline tickets, and are again screened upon airport arrival.
The incident occurred at about 7:06 p.m. on Wednesday at a 110-room Comfort Inn designated as a shelter in October, according to Plymouth County authorities. Rockland police responded to an emergency call for a report of a sexual assault at the building, which is part of a state/federal program to house migrant families. Alvarez lived at the address.
Police encountered the female victim, who is also a migrant, and transported her to a local hospital for treatment. Reports indicate that translators were required to communicate with the victim, who speaks French Creole.
She told investigators that Alvarez raped her in a room while she was receiving help with apps on a tablet, purportedly pushing her onto a bed and conducting the act, according to reports.
"I told him to leave me alone, but he didn't stop," she reportedly told investigators, pointing out Alvarez as the alleged culprit.
Alvarez came to the U.S. via the Biden administration's parole program for Haitians, allowing him to fly directly into JFK Airport in New York City from Haiti in June 2023 with a two-year parole grant, Fox News' Bill Melugin and Griff Jenkins posted on X.
"We're told that ICE has now filed a detainer on 26-year-old Cory B. Alvarez with local authorities, & that he had a sponsor listed in New Jersey as part of his parole," Melugin wrote.
Alvarez's attorney told reporters that his client has been living at the hotel since October while awaiting immigration status.
Update 03/18/24, 8:47 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from DHS.
Correction 03/18/24, 9.15 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a correction to the spelling of Chuck Schumer.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek reporter based in Michigan. His focus is reporting on Ukraine and Russia, along with social ... Read more
