COLUMBUS, Ohio – The suspect accused of raping of a 10-year-old girl in Ohio, in a case cited by President Joe Biden during the SCOTUS abortion debate, is a Guatemalan illegal immigrant, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) source confirmed with Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
Gershon Fuentes, 27, was identified as the suspect. He was arrested Tuesday and police say he confessed to raping the child on at least two occasions. He’s since been charged with rape, a felony of the first degree in Ohio, reported The Columbus Dispatch.
The Columbus Police Department became aware of the girl’s pregnancy as a result of a referral by Franklin County Children Services. The complaint was registered by the girl’s mother on June 22, Det. Jeffrey Huhn testified Wednesday morning at Fuentes’ arraignment. As a result of the pregnancy, the girl underwent an abortion in Indianapolis on June 30, Huhn said.
The Fox News source confirmed that Fuentes is a Guatemalan national who is in the country illegally. Hence, ICE has placed a detainer on him so they can initiate removal proceedings.
The story of the rape was first published in the Indianapolis Star. The case was touted by Biden in the context of the victim reportedly having to cross state lines from Ohio to Indiana to get an abortion.
In a speech last week Biden used the story in announcing measures to protect abortion access in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
“Ten years old. Raped, six weeks pregnant. Already traumatized. Was forced to travel to another state. Imagine being that little girl,” Biden said.
As Biden used the circumstances for political gain, the story was questioned by some abortion opponents since its single source reliance on an Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist who said she had spoken to a “child abuse doctor” in Ohio, and its sparse detail.
Nevertheless, the outlet defended its reporting, yet the story also drew scrutiny from the state attorney general. He said that exceptions to Ohio law would have allowed the girl to obtain an abortion in the state under the circumstances.
A HIPAA violation has reportedly been filed against the doctor who leaked the story.
It’s unclear when Fuentes entered the country illegally, but Biden’s border policies are sure to be used against him in the arena of political sparring.
The Biden administration has narrowed ICE enforcement priorities, with public safety threats being one of them. Certainly an illegal immigrant charged with rape would fit into that category.
