Santiago Martinez-Flores was deported in 2001

A Mexican illegal immigrant who was deported 16 years ago is said to have snuck back into the US where he raped a nine-year-old girl as she was sleeping.

Santiago Martinez-Flores, 48, is accused of breaking in through a window in Clackamas and sexually assaulting the child in a bedroom she shared with her five-year-old sister.

He had been sent to Mexico in 2001 after serving two years in the Oregon Department of Corrections for crimes dating back as far as 1994.

The young victim was fast asleep when the suspect broke into her room.

After being pinned down and abused, the girl managed to wriggle free and run to her parents' room.

Her father grabbed his gun and went into his daughter's bedroom, but the attacker had already escaped through the window through which he broke in.

The county sheriff's office were able to obtain the suspect's fingerprints from the break-in and are now hunting the fugitive, according to KATU News.

Officers say Martinez-Flores has also been known to use the aliases Felipe Coeto and Isidro Ramos Flores.

The sexual assault happened during the early morning hours of Sunday, February 26.

Video courtesy of KATU

Officers say the suspect (pictured) could be using the aliases Felipe Coeto and Isidro Ramos Flores

In a statement, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Department said: 'Martinez-Flores has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 1994.

'Martinez-Flores has used several different aliases in the past and could very well be using an alias at this time.

'Several photos of Santiago Martinez-Flores are attached, as well as the original Sheriff's Office suspect sketch.'