A Nicaraguan immigrant accused of raping a woman near New York City’s Coney Island this week was arrested after entering the United States illegally and has since been released.
Suspect Daniel Davon Bonilla, 24, was first spotted in Eagle Pass, Texas, after illegally entering the United States on Dec. 7, 2022, a spokesperson for New York City’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) confirmed to Fox News.
After Border Patrol encountered Davon Bonilla, he was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ERO, where he was enrolled in a detention program and instructed to report to the ICE Miami Field Office at a later date.
New York City immigrant reportedly served with ICE detention order after allegedly raping Brooklyn woman
A mugshot of Daniel Davon Bonilla, who is accused of raping a woman in New York City’s Coney Island neighborhood on August 11. (Obtained from NY Post)
That “later date” was put on hold and Davon Bonilla continued living in the United States, having multiple run-ins with police from April 2023 until his most recent encounter on Sunday in New York City.
Davon Bonilla was placed under ICE custody again in April 2023 after being arrested by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) on suspicion of sex offenses.
On the same day, ERO New York City filed an immigration detention order with the New York City Police Department’s Central Booking Bureau in Brooklyn, New York, opposing his release.
Big Apple Because it is a sanctuary city, local law enforcement generally does not cooperate with ICE detention orders, which require authorities to notify immigrants before they are released from custody and to keep them in custody until ICE can take them into custody.
Migrants walk along a highway through Suchiate, in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, on their way north to the U.S. southern border last month. (AP Photo/Edgar H. Clemente)
On September 6, 2023, ERO Miami terminated Pabon’s Alternative to Detention (ATD), which allows immigrants to remain in the United States while their immigration proceedings are ongoing, for violating the terms of the program.
NYPD chief slams New York City’s sanctuary status after illegal immigrant accused of raping woman at knifepoint
An ERO spokesperson confirmed that Davon Bonilla was sentenced on June 24, 2024, by Kings County Superior Court on assault charges.
The rape allegedly occurred on Sunday near the Coney Island boardwalk in Brooklyn, New York City. (Beata Saurzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Davon Bonilla then allegedly attacked a 46-year-old woman in Brooklyn’s famous Coney Island on Sunday, raping her at knifepoint with the help of an accomplice.
The NYPD arrested Davon Bonilla on suspicion of rape and filed an immigration detention order at the NYPD Central Detention Center in Brooklyn.
NYPD Sergeant John Chell (center) made the remarks at a press conference on Wednesday. (NYPD, via X)
In response to the incident, NYPD Sergeant John Chell expressed outrage over the city’s sanctuary city status.
In a post by X after the incident, he argued that immigrants like Davon Bonilla don’t come to the U.S. in search of a better life, but rather to prey on city dwellers.
“People from all over the world come to New York in search of a better life — the American Dream.” Posted by Chell “However, a small number have other motives, including committing crimes and preying on the people of New York City. Daniel Davon Bonilla is one of those predators.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
“When will our sanctuary city laws be amended to allow federal authorities to be notified about the deportation of aliens convicted of violent crimes?” Chell asked. “Without action, individuals like Daniel Davon Bonilla will continue to victimize the women of our city.”
ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
