An illegal alien accused of raping a woman in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, was released back into the general public by local law enforcement, according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

Antonio Ulises Perez, a 38-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador, was first arrested by the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office on September 30 and charged with first-degree rape. While Perez was in local custody, ICE agents interviewed him on October 8 and requested that police hold him until he could be turned over to federal immigration officials.

Instead, according to ICE, the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office released Perez from custody on October 9 and he immediately returned to the home of the woman he is accused of raping.

“It is unconscionable that someone who is sworn to uphold the law would find it acceptable to release an alleged rapist who is illegally present in the U.S. back into the community when there are other options available under federal immigration law,” ICE official Marc Moore said in a statement.

“Within a few hours of being released, this illegal alien was back at the home of the rape victim where he was free to re-victimize her and harm other members of the community,” Moore said.

The same day Perez was released from local custody, ICE agents tracked him down in Oklahoma City and arrested him. He is currently in federal custody pending his immigration court proceeding.

ICE officials said that as of late, the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office has decided to stop honoring ICE detainers, which request that criminal illegal aliens are held in local custody until federal officials can transfer them into their custody.