Crime & Safety
Honduran National Convicted Of Rape In MD Arrested By ICE In Howard County
A Honduran national convicted of rape has been arrested by ICE after being released from jail twice by the Howard County Detention Center.
HOWARD COUNTY, MD — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have arrested a 20-year-old Honduran national convicted of second-degree rape in Maryland after the individual was released into the community from the Howard County Detention Center.
Officers with ICE Baltimore arrested Alex Yonatan Flores-Arce after the Howard County Detention Center "failed to honor an ICE immigration detainer," ICE said in a statement, and released Flores back into the community twice.
“The decision by Howard County Detention Center to ignore our immigration detainer and release a removable individual with an egregious criminal history undermines public safety and put Maryland communities at risk,” said ICE Baltimore Acting Field Office Director Nikita Baker in the statement. “This failure is not an isolated incident, but part of a concerning pattern we see all too often. ICE Baltimore remains committed to prioritizing public safety. Working together with local jurisdictions is the only way to keep our neighborhoods safe and uphold the rule of law.”
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On March 12, 2019, the U.S. Border Patrol ran into Flores near El Paso, Texas, and served him a notice to appear. The Howard County Police Department arrested and charged Flores with second-degree rape on Oct.17, 2024. The Circuit Court for Howard County convicted Flores April 29, 2025, and sentenced him to 15 years of confinement and five years of supervised probation, according to ICE.
ICE lodged an immigration detainer on Flores with Howard County Department of Corrections Jan. 13, 2025. On May 5, 2025, the department didn't honor the immigration detainer and released Flores from custody, ICE stated. The Howard County Police Department arrested and charged Flores with a violation of probation May 8, 2025. ICE Baltimore’s fugitive operations team arrested Flores as he walked out of the detention center. Flores has a final administrative removal order and will remain in ICE custody, according to the statement.
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