An illegal immigrant accused of killing his three-year-old nephew in Florida was released into the United States by the Biden administration despite having previously been deported, The Daily Wire has learned.
He later went on to receive a deportation order after his release, the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire.
Honduran illegal immigrant Samuel Antonio Maldonado-Erazo, 28, allegedly took the toddler to work on March 4 and ignored severe signs of distress his nephew appeared to be experiencing, according to Fox10.
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said the child had several broken ribs, one of which was detached from the backbone, a broken collarbone, and a transected pancreas from blunt trauma, the local news outlet reported. The child also appeared to show signs of possible sexual abuse.
When first responders came upon the toddler, they found he was suffering from cardiac arrest, according to Fox10.
“Life-saving measures were attempted but unfortunately, he passed,” Simmons said. “We learned this young boy suffered extensive bruising about his body, to include 17 strikes to the head alone. Additionally, there were several burn marks consistent with heating a lighter and then pressing that lighter against the skin. These injuries and the neglect associated with them contributed to his death.”
“The injuries to the child are hard to talk about, and even harder to imagine having to endure,” Simmons said. “The only solace I can think of is he suffers no more.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) filed a detainer with local authorities on March 5, asking for a heads-up before releasing Maldonado-Erazo, DHS said.
Maldonado-Erazo illegally entered the United States in August 2021 and “was immediately removed,” DHS said.
He then reentered the country illegally in November 2021 and was released “under the Biden administration’s catch-and-release policies,” the agency added.
He was ordered deported in May 2023, according to DHS.
Homeland Security deputy assistant secretary Lauren Bis called the situation “absolutely sickening,” saying “This heinous crime underscores the importance of local authorities working with ICE to remove dangerous criminal illegal aliens from American communities.”
“The Biden administration should have never RELEASED this monster into our communities,” Bis added.
The three-year-old was left with Maldonado-Erazo after his mother and aunt were deported, Simmons said.
Maldonado-Erazo had other children living with him who have since been taken into the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families, the sheriff said.
Erazo was originally charged with negligent manslaughter, but his charges have since been upgraded to felony murder, according to the sheriff’s office.
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