Father of teen accused in rape of Maryland high school girl detained on immigration charges

The father of a teenager accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in a bathroom stall at a Maryland high school has been arrested by federal authorities for being in the U.S. illegally, officials said.

Adolfo Sanchez-Reyes, a 43-year-old citizen of Guatemala, is being held at a Maryland detention center and was ordered to appear in immigration court, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

His son’s case was highlighted by the Trump administration as evidence of a need for stricter immigration laws as local jurisdictions across the country declare themselves “sanctuary cities.”

The son, Henry E. Sanchez-Milian, 18, along with a classmate, approached the victim earlier this month in the hallway at Rockville High School, where the classmate asked her to have sex, according to the Montgomery County Police Department.

She told police she refused.

Authorities say the classmate, 17-year-old Jose O. Montano, pushed the girl into a boy’s bathroom. She said she grabbed onto a sink to avoid being forced into a stall, but Montano pulled her in, according to court records.

Sanchez-Milian entered the stall, where he and Montano took turns raping the girl while she repeatedly told them to stop, the documents said.

Montano denied having sexual contact with the girl, telling authorities they went into the bathroom “to tell jokes.”

Sanchez-Milian initially said “nothing happened,” but later admitted to “having sex with the victim with his friend Montano,” according to court records.

Both teens were charged with one count of first-degree rape and two counts of first-degree sex offense.

An attorney representing Sanchez-Milian said text messages showed the girl was planning a sexual encounter with Montano at the time of the incident.

“Everybody has jumped to an understandable conclusion, but the strong evidence indicates that both young men are innocent,” said the attorney, Andrew Jezic. “All parties were willing participants.”

Federal immigration authorities detained Sanchez-Milian in August on suspicion of being in the country illegally, but let him go after 12 days, Jezic said.

“ICE investigated Henry thoroughly, found out he had no criminal history, he had no gang ties, he was no threat to the national safety,” Jezic said.

Sanchez-Milian was released to live with his father and ordered to appear before an immigration judge, though a date was not set because his case was not considered a priority because he had no criminal record or previous encounters with immigration officials, according to Gillian Christensen, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security.

“Given his recent criminal arrest, ICE is filing charging documents in immigration court this week,” Christensen said.

Jezic said the teen’s father, who was arrested Friday, is “just a very humble, hardworking guy.” He would not comment on the man’s immigration status.

Maryland court records show that in 2011 the father pleaded guilty to driving without a license.

Montgomery County has a longstanding policy of not enforcing federal immigration laws. Local police do not ask individuals about their immigration status or target people based on their race or ethnicity.

In defiance of President Trump’s pledge to crack down on illegal immigration, Maryland is considering implementing a state law that would prohibit law enforcement from stopping, arresting or searching individuals to investigate immigration violations.

The proposal came under fire Monday when Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions said making Maryland a so-called sanctuary state would be “such a mistake.”

“I would plead with the people of Maryland to understand that this makes the state of Maryland more at risk for violence and crime,” he said. “It is not good policy.”

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @AleneTchek

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UPDATES:

5:15 p.m.: The story was updated with additional details about the rape, as well as a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.

The story was originally published at 12:20 p.m.