The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged a detainer in Prince William County, Virginia, requesting local officials not to release an illegal alien charged with child rape. Cristian Romario Saenz-Argueta, 31, from El Salvador, was arrested on May 26, 2026, by Manassas police.
Saenz-Argueta faces three felony charges, including one count of rape by force, threat, or intimidation, and two counts of carnal knowledge of a child between the ages of 13 and 14. According to local reports, he allegedly used social media to connect with a girl under 15, falsely claiming to be 18, and later sexually assaulted her in November 2025. Saenz-Argueta illegally entered the U.S., returned to El Salvador in 2022, and then illegally re-entered the country.
Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said, "This sick illegal alien from El Salvador now faces three felony charges for raping a girl under the age of 15." Bis added that DHS is asking Prince William County politicians to cooperate with ICE and not release him, criticizing Governor Abigail Spanberger's policies for making Virginia a "magnet for criminal illegal aliens."
DHS highlighted Governor Spanberger's executive orders banning state cooperation with ICE and terminating 287(g) agreements, asserting these actions have led to an increase in illegal alien crime in the state. The department cited several other recent arrests and charges involving illegal aliens in Virginia, including cases of child pornography, drug trafficking, murder, and assault, all occurring in May and April of 2026.