He snuck across the border illegally and went undetected. Then, he went on to allegedly rape three young children in Asheville, North Carolina, authorities said.
Now, federal immigration authorities are begging sanctuary officials to hand Mexican illegal immigrant Juan Ramon Juarez-Talamantes, 29, over to ICE before he has the opportunity to continue on with his violent rampage, The Daily Wire has learned.
“This depraved sicko is charged with raping three children. This criminal illegal alien has no place in American communities,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire on Tuesday.
“We are calling on Asheville sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this pedophile back into our communities to prey on more innocent children. If politicians allow state and local law enforcement to cooperate with ICE, we can get criminals like this out of our country,” McLaughlin said.
Juarez-Talamantes was charged in November with two counts of statutory rape involving a child at least 13, 14, or 15 years of age, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office said in a recent press release. He was charged again last month for an incident involving a third victim.
Detectives first learned of Juarez-Talamantes’ alleged crimes in July 2024 after receiving a report of a rape involving a child lured by a man named “Juan” on Snapchat, according to the Asheville Citizen Times.
The child and their friend met up with the man in his car before going to his house, according to the local report.
The child told detectives that the man kissed the child. When he attempted to “take it further,” the child told him “no.”
“He slapped (the child) on the face and proceeded to rape (the child),” according to the report.
The Asheville Police Department also received a similar report in September 2025.
The two agencies collaborated to confirm that Juarez-Talamantes was allegedly tied to both cases. Authorities later connected him to the third incident.
“We are very thankful for the partnership with the Asheville Police Department during this case and the tedious work and collaboration of the investigators to reach this result. These cases demonstrate the power community partnerships play in resolving problems for citizens of Buncombe County,” Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office District 2 Captain Chris Stockton said in a recent statement.
“Our hearts go out to those whose lives have been forever changed by these events and hope that the effort of these passionate investigators opens a door to healing,” Stockton said.
In May, the Department of Justice classified Buncombe County as a sanctuary jurisdiction for refusing to honor ICE detainers. The county was later taken off the list after Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller called the label “inaccurate,” according to ABC13.
Miller asserted that his office adheres to a state law that forces police to honor ICE detainers, known as House Bill 10. However, the law only mandates sheriffs to honor detainers in instances where they have a judicial warrant, which isn’t the standard in federal immigration cases, according to WUNC.
Before the legislation passed, Miller refused to honor ICE detainers and previously ended his office’s participation in the federal 287(g) program, where local officers help with immigration enforcement.
“Since the passage of House Bill 10, we’ve had 15 detainees that we’ve contacted ICE about, one of which is still in our custody, and we’ve just released one to ICE,” Miller said in a June 4 video.
“Before House Bill 10 became law, I did not honor ICE detainers. The reason I didn’t honor detainers at that time was because they were not signed by a judge and therefore not a valid court document to hold a detainee who otherwise would be eligible for release,” he said.
Last year, Miller said: “I have repeatedly spoken out against cooperation with ICE, saying federal immigration law is not the responsibility of local officers and damages law enforcement’s trust within the immigrant community.”
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on whether they would honor the ICE detainer.
.png)
.png)
