New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s (D) sanctuary city policy is responsible for freeing an illegal alien who has been accused of child sex crimes, including rape.

Miguel Federico Ajqui-Ajtzalam, a 20-year-old illegal alien from Guatemala, was arrested by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency after the New York Police Department (NYPD) freed him following his arrest for felony second-degree rape and second-degree sexual abuse of a person less than 14-years-old.

According to the NYPD, Ajqui-Ajtzalam in 2018 was in a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl and had allegedly raped her five times throughout the year. The illegal alien was 19-years-old at the time. When the girl’s mother reported the man, he was subsequently charged with statutory rape.

After his arrest by NYPD, though, Ajqui-Ajtzalam was arraigned and released from police custody. The NYPD ignored ICE’s request that he be turned over to them for arrest and deportation.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez defended his decision to free Ajqui-Ajtzalam:

The case was reported by the girl’s mother, alleging that her daughter had a sexual relationship with an older teenager, which constituted statutory rape … Accordingly, we did not request bail for this nonviolent felony that allegedly took place a year-and-a-half ago. [Emphasis added]

ICE official Thomas Decker said it is “inconceivable” that New York City officials would release an illegal alien charged with rape and sexual abuse of a child.

“It’s frightening that our detainer was ignored and he was released onto New York City streets to possibly re-offend,” Decker said. “The safety of city residents, especially the more vulnerable, continues to be a priority for ICE enforcement.”

Ajqui-Ajtzalam, according to ICE, first crossed illegally into the U.S. through the southern border on September 23, 2016. The illegal alien was processed as an Unaccompanied Alien Child (UAC) and released into the U.S. after less than two months. He was initially encountered by U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) on Sept. 23, 2016 after illegally entering the U.S. without inspection.

Ajqui-Ajtzalam was supposed to show up for his removal proceedings at a later date but never did. Now, Ajqui-Ajtzalam is in ICE custody, where he is awaiting deportation.

As Breitbart News reported in January, the sanctuary state of New York released more than 7,500 criminal illegal aliens back into communities last year, including convicted murderers and sexual abusers.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.