A Nicaraguan immigrant accused of raping a woman near a popular Brooklyn beach promenade this week had previously been arrested on sexual assault charges and had been in ICE custody, but reportedly managed to get released in a deal with local prosecutors.
Daniel Davon Bonilla, 24, had been on the streets since June when he was arrested late Sunday night for the Coney Island attack, according to the New York Post. New York is a sanctuary city, meaning local law enforcement agencies typically don’t cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention orders. ICE notifies immigrants before they are released from custody and asks them to hold them until ICE can take them back.
“The law doesn’t allow for coordination with ICE. That’s the law. And I’m not happy about it,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters on Tuesday when asked about the detention of Davon Bonilla. “I think he’s the epitome of what’s wrong with not coordinating. He clearly doesn’t deserve to be in this city.”
“That’s the challenge we face,” Adams added. “The vast majority of migrants and asylum seekers here are ready to take the next step, they’re ready to embark on the next part of their journey. But there’s a small minority who are not ready.”
Immigrant accused of raping New York City woman pleads innocent as details of suspect’s past emerge
David Davon Bonilla is accused of raping a woman in New York City’s Coney Island neighborhood on Sunday, August 11. (Obtained from NY Post)
According to the source, New York Post Davon Bonilla was arrested and served with an ICE detention order in April 2023 after he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a hotel converted into a migrant shelter in another Brooklyn neighborhood.
Davon Bonilla later pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and served his time at New York City’s notorious Rikers Island prison before being released on June 24, according to WABC.
“After spending over a year in prison and being asked by the victim not to testify in any court proceedings, the defendant was offered a plea that would allow him to serve more time and allow for court-managed programming,” WABC quoted the prosecutor as saying.
A New York City woman was stabbed and raped by an immigrant near a popular beach boardwalk, police and sources say.
The rape allegedly took place near the Coney Island boardwalk in Brooklyn, New York City.
(Beata Saurzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office told the New York Post that “offices do not routinely know a defendant’s immigration status and do not contact ICE after a plea agreement.”
New York City Councilman Bob Holden, a Democrat who represents part of Queens, told the paper that this week’s rape allegation against Davon Bonilla was “a direct result of City Hall’s refusal to act and work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to keep our communities safe, leaving us vulnerable to people who should be deported.”
“This freak was arrested, convicted, sentenced and then, instead of being turned over to ICE, he was released back onto the streets to commit the same vile sexual assault again,” Holden added.
The second suspect, Leovando Moreno, was arrested in a Brooklyn rape case on Sunday. (Obtained from NY Post)
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According to reports, New York Police Department, suspect Davon Bonilla, who is currently facing charges including first-degree rape and sexual abuse in connection with the attack that happened in Coney Island on Sunday night, has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
