Some observers are claiming the US is in the middle of a migrant crime wave. And they are using recent headlines to prove their point.

An illegal immigrant from Honduras was arrested in Kenner, Louisiana. He is charged with raping a 14-year-old girl. He is also alleged to have stabbed a man during a robbery.

Angel Matias Castellanos-Orellana, 19, was arrested Sunday according to the Kenner Police Department Facebook post.

The victim is stable in a local hospital.

A federal ICE detainer was also issued for Castellanos-Orellana, police said. 

Kenner Police Department Chief Keith Conley spoke out about illegal migrants committing crimes in the area. And detailed the challenges for law enforcement.

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Law Enforcement Challenges

"Lack of access to data, false identification and language barriers put local law enforcement at a huge disadvantage," Conley said.

In a Facebook post, Kenner Police said that local law enforcement agencies are often hindered when trying to deal with illegal immigrants due to the lack of documented identifiers. 

It also noted that Castellanos-Orellana has used aliases in the past, including the name Elven Locket. They asked anyone with information on him to contact the police.

"We cannot verify if an illegal alien is giving correct information as it pertains to names and dates of birth. It is not only a drain on police manpower, but a financial drain on local law enforcement’s budgets and taxpayers' money."

"In a 25-day period, this illegal alien caused terror in our community. We are glad he is off our streets, but will he be back? Will he have a new identity? What other crimes has he committed since he crossed our borders?"

Illegal Migrant Crime Wave

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry sent his condolences to the victims and their families. He added that Castellanos-Orellana should never have been in the state.

The incident comes on the same week that a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela is accused of murdering Laken Riley, 22, while she was out for a jog along trails on the University of Georgia’s campus. And a Salvadoran immigrant was arrested in connection to the murder of a toddler in Langley Park, Maryland.

Police Chief Jeffrey Clark described the attack against Riley as a "crime of opportunity" while announcing the Feb. 23 arrest of Jose Ibarra.

Crime Statistics

The New York City Council refused to re-evaluate its sanctuary city laws. And claims they will continue the policy of not cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on deportation matters.

There is an increasing list of crimes being connected to migrants arrested in New York and then released. The Laken Riley murder suspect was just the latest. 

During the Biden administration nearly 7.3 million migrants have illegally crossed the southwest border. To put it in perspective this is more than the combined population of 10 states in the US.

The immigration status of someone arrested for a crime may not be disclosed on police records, especially in sanctuary cities. And it is often not reported in the larger media. This makes it difficult to keep accurate statistics.