13-year-old girl allegedly raped by illegal Ecuadorian immigrant in New York City, This has brought renewed attention to one of the most contentious areas of the US southern border.
Christian Giovanni Inga Landi, a 25-year-old illegal immigrant from Ecuador, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of raping the girl. A NYPD source confirmed to Fox News that Inga Landi illegally crossed the border near Eagle Pass, Texas, in 2021.
The small Texas city has been at the center of a fierce battle between state and federal authorities for nearly a year, and Governor Greg Abbott last year made the popular illegal border crossing the focus of “Operation Lone Star.”
As part of the Eagle Pass operation, Texas authorities have installed barbed wire near popular border crossings, built a wall of shipping containers near the river and deployed thousands of Texas National Guard and Department of Public Safety officers to the area to stop illegal immigrants from crossing the border.
Immigrant arrested for raping 13-year-old girl in broad daylight in New York park
Texas Governor Greg Abbott (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The state announced plans in February to build an 80-acre camp near the city that would serve as a base of operations for an additional 2,000 National Guard troops, escalating the feud with the federal government.
Texas has been pouring more resources into Eagle Pass since 2021, but has significantly stepped up efforts in the area over the past year, citing the expiration of Title 42, a pandemic-era order that allowed authorities to quickly deport undocumented immigrants.
The federal government has continued to pressure states to restrict their activities over the last year, filing lawsuits against them and having federal agents cut down barbed wire installed by Texas authorities. A lower court ruling initially barred Border Patrol agents from cutting state-owned barbed wire, but that ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision in October.
The fight over border control at Eagle Pass is a result of its unique location as one of the most popular crossing points for illegal immigrants into Texas.
13-year-old New York City girl sexually assaulted at knifepoint in broadday light in park: police
“Eagle Pass, a key part of downtown Del Rio, has experienced unprecedented immigration over the past three years,” Alfonso Aguilar, director of Hispanic outreach for the American Principles Project, told Fox News Digital. “This is of particular interest because it is one of the areas where Texas Governor Greg Abbott has decided to step up to stem the influx of immigrants.”
“Governor Abbott was forced to take action because the federal government has broken the agreements it made with the states to secure the border,” Aguilar added.
On January 12, 2024, National Guard troops are deployed along the banks of the Rio Grande River at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Ingalandi was one of thousands of people who crossed the border in the area, and law enforcement sources told Fox News he was processed, released and given a court date. Police sources said the suspect told investigators his destination was an address in Queens, New York City.
He is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in broad daylight last week. Police say he approached the girl and a 13-year-old boy who was with her while brandishing a machete, tied them up and raped the girl in a popular park.
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Police identified Inga Lundy as the prime suspect from surveillance camera footage from the scene and subsequently received a stream of tips about his whereabouts.
Eventually, after neighbors saw a wanted poster and recognized him, about 10 people held him down until police arrived and arrested him early Tuesday morning.
Aguilar said that if these hotspots are not safe, more criminals like Inga Lundy will enter the U.S. through checkpoints like Eagle Pass.
Attached is a photo of a migrant who had been arrested for sexual assault, with ripped clothes, a missing shoe and bruises, after residents subdued him and called 911. (Fox News)
“By not enforcing our laws and opposing efforts to secure our border in states like Texas, the Biden Administration is making it easier for more criminals and individuals with ties to terrorist organizations to enter the country, putting lives of Americans everywhere at risk,” Aguilar said.
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The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.
