A 23-year-old illegal immigrant has been charged in connection with the rape of a 13-year-old girl in Kenner, Louisiana.
Diego Rodriguez-Salvador surrendered to police after they tracked his vehicle to New Orleans East, according to WVUE-TV.
“This man’s a coward. Overpowered a 13-year-old girl. As a father I’m saddened, and as police chief, I’m furious,” Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said.
Rodriguez-Salvador faces one count of second-degree kidnapping and one count of second-degree rape of a juvenile.
Because the suspect in in the country illegally, the Department of Homeland Security is assisting police with the case.
The incident has increased fear in the area where the Tuesday night incident took place.
“I have a daughter and I’m scared to let her out, to play. It’s crazy. Never heard of that around here,” neighbor Rene Garcia said.
Police say Rodriguez-Salvador was a friend of the girl’s family.
The incident took place after she was offered a ride to a store, according to WWL-TV.
“On the way to the store she noticed he was going in a different direction, he pulled a knife and took her to a trailer that he lived in on Malinda Court and he sexually assaulted her,” Conley said.
Police said the girl was returned home after the incident. She then called her parents who reported the crime to police, according to WVUE.
Conley said crime due to illegal immigration is increasing, according to WWL.
“The same undocumented illegals that are coming from Eagle Pass that have been a thorn in Texas’s side, they’re just moving further in,” Conley said.
“I think we’re all seeing that now. It’s everything from small violations to big violations. It’s just a drain on resources,” he said.
Conley said police are not focusing on illegal immigrants, only criminals.
“If you’re here undocumented or illegal and you don’t do anything wrong, we wouldn’t know. We would have no reason to be concerned with what you do. The issue is every time we turn around, we are having issues,” he said.
Conley said Rodriguez-Salvador is from Honduras, according to WDSU-TV.
Everyone talks about the 14 million that’s come across the boarder but no one has said anything about the ones that were pregnant. The tally could be more like 18 million.