An illegal immigrant convicted of a 2009 rape charge — who was already twice removed from the United States — was captured again by federal authorities in Maryland last month, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Honduras national Madai Gamaliel Amaya, 36, is currently in federal custody after he was arrested on Aug. 29 by Enforcement and Removal Operations Baltimore field office in Montgomery Village — the third time he’s set to be booted from the country following his criminal conviction.
The arrest marks a record 153rd arrest by the Baltimore sector this year involving noncitizen sex offenders, a top ICE official said.
After he snuck into the US at an unknown date, Amaya was arrested and charged with second-degree rape in 2009 and later convicted of the offense.
Honduras national Madai Gamaliel Amaya, 36, is currently in federal custody. ICEHe was sentenced to 10 years behind bars, but the court ended up suspending two years and six months of the prison term, ICE said.
He was then served a removal order and the transferred to ICE custody before he was tossed out in July 2013.
Three years later, he attempted to illegally get into the US again along the southern border near Hidalgo, Texas, but was caught by US Border Patrol, officials said. A federal court found Amaya guilty of unlawful entry and he was sentenced to 30 months in prison in January 2017.
After serving a little over a year in federal detention, he was again removed from the US in November 2018.
But once more, he reentered the country on an unknown date before his latest capture, ICE said.
Amaya’s apprehension “underscores the amazing work” ERO officers undertake daily, ERO Executive Associate Director Daniel Bible said.
“This is a landmark arrest for ERO Baltimore, in that they secured a record 153 noncitizen sex offenders arrested in their area of operations during a single fiscal year, but more importantly, there are 153 victims who need not fear their predators because of ERO officers,” Bible said in a statement.
“This arrest also highlights the amazing enforcement actions performed by ERO officers across our great nation.”
