Two weeks ago Philadelphia city officials decided to end a long-standing contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

This week, an illegal alien who was released by local law enforcement officials pleaded guilty to unlawful reentry into the United States after being convicted of raping a child. The alien had an ICE detainer and officials let him out into the streets without notifying federal immigration officials.

"U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Juan Ramon Vasquez, a citizen of Honduras, pleaded guilty today to illegal reentry after deportation. In May 2009, the defendant was deported from the United States," the Department of Justice released in statement. "Thereafter, in March 2014, the defendant was found back in the United States by U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) officers. At that time, Vasquez was in the custody of the Philadelphia Department of Prisons."



"The City of Philadelphia thereafter chose not to comply with a detainer lodged by ICE for the defendant, who was instead released from custody by the Philadelphia Department of Prisons. After his release, the defendant was rearrested and convicted for rape of a child and unlawful sexual contact with a minor. The defendant is currently serving a sentence of 8 to 20 years in state prison," the statement continues.

Vasquez faces up to two years in federal prison, in addition to the current sentence he is serving now.

“The facts of this case highlight the danger posed by the City of Philadelphia’s decision to disregard ICE detainers and release previously deported aliens from local custody,” McSwain said about the case. “Those of us in the law enforcement business should be doing everything in our power to protect vulnerable children from predators like Vasquez. Instead, this defendant received a free pass from the City of Philadelphia and its Department of Prisons, headed straight back into our community, and committed a heinous crime he never would have had the chance to commit had the City of Philadelphia complied with the ICE detainer.”

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said during an interview with Fox News Wednesday night that local jurisdictions must do more to protect American communities.