NYC migrant accused in knifepoint rape was caught, released at border: ICE

The Nicaraguan migrant accused of raping a woman this week near Coney Island in New York City was caught and released after crossing illegally into the U.S.

Daniel Davon-Bonilla, 24, was first encountered in Eagle Pass, Texas, after he crossed illegally into the U.S. Dec. 7, 2022, an Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New York City spokesperson confirmed to Fox News. 

After Border Patrol encountered Davon-Bonilla, he was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ERO, and he was enrolled in a detention program with instructions to report to the ERO Miami Field Office at a later date. 

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That "later date" was put on hiatus, and Davon-Bonilla continued his life in the U.S., racking up run-ins with law enforcement from April 2023 to his most recent interaction Sunday in NYC. 

Davon-Bonilla landed back on ICE's radar in April 2023, after he was arrested by the New York Police Department (NYPD) for alleged sex crimes.

On the same date, ERO New York City filed an immigration detainer with the NYPD Central Booking in Brooklyn, New York, against his release.

The Big Apple is a sanctuary city, meaning local law enforcement generally does not cooperate with ICE detainers, which are requests that the agency be notified before a migrant is released from custody and to keep them in custody until ICE can take custody. 

On Sept. 6, 2023, ERO Miami terminated Pavon's Alternatives to Detention (ATD), which allows migrants to remain in the U.S. during their immigration proceedings, because he allegedly violated the conditions of the program.

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The ERO spokesperson confirmed that, on June 24, 2024, the Kings County Supreme Court convicted Davon-Bonilla of assault.

Davon-Bonilla then allegedly attacked a 46-year-old woman Sunday in Brooklyn's famed Coney Island, forcibly raping her at knifepoint alongside an accomplice. 

The NYPD arrested Davon-Bonilla for the alleged rape and filed an immigration detainer with the NYPD Central Booking in Brooklyn.

Following the alleged crime, John Chell, the NYPD's chief of patrol, expressed his outrage about the city's sanctuary city status.

In an X post following the incident, he argued that migrants like Davon-Bonilla come to the U.S. not in search of a better life, but to prey on city dwellers.  

"People from across the globe come to NYC in pursuit of a better life — the American Dream," Chell posted. "However, a small portion have other intentions, including committing crimes and preying on the people of New York City. Daniel Davon-Bonilla is one such predator.

"When will our sanctuary city laws be amended to allow us to notify federal authorities regarding the deportation of noncitizens convicted of violent crimes?" Chell asked. "Failing to act enables individuals like Daniel Davon-Bonilla to continue victimizing women in our city."

ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.