Illegal Immigrant With Extensive Criminal Record Arrested Twice in One Day in New York
Authorities report the suspect, who has faced numerous charges including sex offenses and robbery, was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration.
A 24-year-old man described as an illegal immigrant with a lengthy criminal history was arrested twice in an 18-hour period in Putnam County, New York, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and local law enforcement. Diego Rodriguez-Ordonez, of Brewster, faces multiple charges stemming from alleged incidents on Wednesday.
According to DHS, Rodriguez-Ordonez, who is from Guatemala, has convictions for multiple sex offenses, trespassing, and disorderly conduct. He also had pending charges for sexual assault, possession of stolen property, assault, larceny, burglary, crimes against a person, dangerous drugs, fraud, and property crimes. Border Patrol encountered him in the Rio Grande Valley in December 2018, and he was released from ICE custody in March 2021 under the Biden administration.
"Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the US," a DHS spokesperson told The Post.
Rodriguez-Ordonez was first taken into custody around 3:05 a.m. Wednesday following an alleged robbery at a Kent convenience store and an assault on a clerk. Deputies responding to the Kent Police Department's request found him hiding near the scene. He was charged by Kent police with robbery, assault, and felony criminal mischief related to a separate incident at a nearby bank.
He was released, and later that evening, around 9:09 p.m., Sheriff's Deputies were dispatched to the Southeast train station after a woman reported being touched inappropriately on a Metro-North train and then groped on the platform by the same individual. Deputies located Rodriguez-Ordonez near the train yard. According to the Putnam County Sheriff's Department, he resisted arrest and was subsequently stunned with a Taser. He was wearing an ankle monitor that had been issued to him earlier that day.
For the second incident, Rodriguez-Ordonez was charged with forcible touching, obstructing, resisting arrest, and criminal trespass. He was arraigned in Southeast Justice Court, where bail was set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond.
Putnam County Sheriff Brian Hess expressed concern over Rodriguez-Ordonez's repeated encounters with law enforcement. "It’s definitely upsetting that he’s out here assaulting our citizens – arrested that same day within 24 hours of being released the day earlier – and looking at his history of 17 arrests in the last two years you wonder how this guy can still be out there hurting our people," Hess told The Post.
Assemblyman Matt Slater (R-Putnam) criticized New York's sanctuary policies, stating they "protect criminals, create more victims and provide a safe haven for illegal immigration." He added, "There is no excuse for this individual to be terrorizing our community. He should be held to the fullest extent of the law, including deportation."
Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne stated that his county "is not a sanctuary county, and it never will be under my leadership." He asserted that "Sanctuary policies that block that cooperation undermine public safety," and that "Public safety should come before politics."