North Carolina’s largest sanctuary county released a previously deported illegal alien accused of rape and child sex crimes, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency reveals.

Oscar Pacheco-Leonardo, a 33-year-old illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested almost two months ago by the Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Sheriff’s Office for first-degree rape and child sex crimes. After his arrest, ICE officials said they placed a detainer on Pacheco-Leonardo, requesting that he be turned over to the agency before being released from local custody.

Mecklenburg’s sanctuary county policy, however, ensured that the sheriff’s office release the illegal alien from their custody, allowing him to run free for nearly two months before being arrested ICE agents.

On June 14, Pacheco-Leonardo was arrested by Mecklenburg County police for one count of first-degree rape and two counts of indecent liberties with a child. The following day, ICE placed a detainer on the illegal alien. Rather than handing him over to ICE, Mecklenburg police released Pacheco-Leonardo on June 16.

Pacheco-Leonardo had already been deported from the U.S. in July 2006. Sometime after this date, the illegal alien re-entered the county through the southern border — a felony under federal law.

“The Mecklenburg County sheriff’s decision to restrict cooperation with ICE serves as an open invitation to aliens who commit criminal offenses, that Mecklenburg County is a safe haven for persons seeking to evade federal authorities, and residents of Mecklenburg County are less safe today than last year due to these policies,” ICE official Sean Gallagher said in a statement.

Over the past nine months, ICE detailed a list of more than 20 illegal aliens who were recently arrested by Mecklenburg County police and released back into the local community despite having an ICE detainer lodged against them.

Those illegal aliens released by Mecklenburg County this year include:

A 31-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was previously removed by ICE in June 2009, was arrested by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office in February 2019 for sex offenses and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In February 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in February 2019. In March 2019, he was arrested at-large in Charlotte, NC, and is currently detained in ICE custody pending removal from the United States. A 30-year-old citizen of Mexico was arrested by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department in March 2019, for breaking and entering a motor vehicle, larceny, simple assault, among other charges, and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In March 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019, and remains at-large. A 30-year-old citizen of Honduras was arrested by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department in August 2018 for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In August 2018, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored and he was released in March 2019 and remains at-large. He was convicted of a lesser charge in March 2019. A 40-year-old citizen of Guatemala was arrested in October 2018 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for multiple counts of indecent liberties with a child, rape, among other sex offenses, and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In October 2018, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019. In March 2019, he was arrested at-large by ICE officers in Charlotte, NC, and is currently detained in ICE custody pending a hearing before an immigration judge. A 42-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was ordered removed by an immigration judge in August 2013, was arrested in March 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for gun and drug charges and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In March 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and she was released in March 2019, and remains at-large. A 33-year-old citizen of Sri Lanka, who was ordered removed by an immigration judge in September 2009, was arrested in February 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department multiple counts of felony and misdemeanor larceny and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In February 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019, and remains at-large. A 47-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was removed from the United States in February 2014, was arrested in February 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for assault by strangulation, among other charges, and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In February 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019, and remains at-large. A 22-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was ordered removed by an immigration judge in April 2015, was arrested in March 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for assault by strangulation, assault on a female, and communicating threats, and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In March 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019, and remains at-large. A 30-year-old citizen of Liberia was arrested in March 2019, by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office for multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In March 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019, and remains at-large. A 30-year-old citizen of Mexico, who was previously removed from the United States in January 2007 and April 2016, was arrested in March 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department as a fugitive and for gun charges and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In March 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019, and remains at-large. A 27-year-old citizen of Afghanistan was arrested in March 2019, by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office for stalking and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In March 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in March 2019. In April 2019, he was arrested at-large by ICE officers in Charlotte, NC, and is currently detained in ICE custody pending a hearing before an immigration judge. A 30-year-old citizen of Mexico was arrested by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department in December 2018 for sex offenses involving a child and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In December 2018, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in January 2019. In April 2019, he was arrested at-large by ICE officers in Charlotte, NC, and is currently detained in ICE custody pending a hearing before an immigration judge. A 27-year-old citizen of El Salvador was arrested in April 2019 by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office for assault by strangulation and assault on a female and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In April 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in April 2019, and remains at-large. A 38-year-old citizen of Guatemala, previously removed from the United States in June 2009, was arrested in February 2019, by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office for multiple charges, including kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In March 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in April 2019, and remains at-large. A 19-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was ordered removed by an immigration judge in April 2017, was arrested in April 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for assault an injury to real property and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In April 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in April 2019 and remains at-large. He was previously encountered in August 2018 when he was detained at the Mecklenburg County Jail for the charges of robbery and breaking and entering a motor vehicle, and felony conspiracy. The Mecklenburg County Jail declined to honor that ICE detainer, and he was released in December 2018. A 30-year-old citizen of India was arrested in April 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for multiple assault charges and first degree burglary and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In April 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in April 2019 and remains at-large. A 37-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was removed from the United States in December 2006, was arrested March 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for multiple charges including assault on a female, felony larceny, simple assault, among other charges, and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In May 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in May 2019, and remains at-large. A 21-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was ordered removed by an immigration judge in August 2018, was arrested in December 2018 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for breaking and entering a motor vehicle and larceny and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In December 2018, the Pacific Enforcement Response Center issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in December 2018. He was arrested again in January 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for Robbery with Dangerous Weapon and Assault with a Deadly Weapon and was booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail. In January 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored for the second time, and he was released in May 2019, and remains at-large. A 23-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was ordered removed by an immigration judge in May 2018, was arrested in May 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for multiple charges including assault and larceny and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In May 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and she was released in May 2019, and remains at-large. A 25-year-old citizen of Mexico was arrested in May 2019 by the Mint Hill Police Department for DWI and drug charges and into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In May 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in May 2019, and remains at-large. A 19-year-old citizen of Honduras was arrested in May 2019, by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for Indecent Liberties with Child and was booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. In May 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in May 2019, and remains at-large. A 28-year-old citizen of Mexico was arrested in May 2019 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for assault by strangulation, assault on a female and communicating threats and booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail in Charlotte, NC. He also has pending narcotics and gun charges stemming from an arrest made by Wilson County in August 2018. In May 2019, ICE ERO issued a detainer, but the detainer was not honored, and he was released in May 2019, and remains at-large.

A July report by the Epoch Times noted research by North Carolinians For Immigration Reform and Enforcement (NCFIRE.info), which states that in the last one and a half years, more than 330 illegal aliens have been charged with nearly 1,200 child sex crimes in North Carolina. Over the last four and a half years, the NCFIRE’s research states that an average of 34 illegal aliens in North Carolina are charged every month with child sex crimes.

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