Previously deported Texas illegal immigrant charged in connection with 3-month-old baby's death: sheriff

Texas authorities have arrested and charged an illegal immigrant in connection with the April 21 death of a 3-month-old baby.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said Melvin Jesus Aquino Enriquez, 26, of Porter, is charged with injury to a child and assault-family violence. 

Authorities initially responded to reports of an injured child at the home where Enriquez was residing at the 25000 block of Needham Road in Porter on April 14 and "promptly initiated a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child's injuries," the sheriff's office said in a press release.

The baby was hospitalized but ultimately "succumbed to" injuries on April 24.

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The MCSO Special Victims Unit is awaiting autopsy results to "further determine the circumstances leading to the untimely and devastating death of the child," at which point officials will determine whether "appropriate additional charges" are warranted, the sheriff's office said.

The suspect is currently detained on $75,000 bond. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also placed a detainer on Enriquez "due to his immigration status," the sheriff's office said.

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An ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Aquino Enriquez, a "previously removed Mexican national," entered the United States illegally "on an unknown date and at an unknown location without inspection, admission or parole by an immigration officer."

"On March 4, 2020, immigration officers from [ICE] Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston encountered Aquino at the Harris County (Texas) Jail following his arrest for criminal trespass and an immigration detainer was placed with the jail," the spokesperson said. "On April 28, 2020, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office transferred Aquino into ERO Houston custody and he was placed into immigration proceedings. On Sept. 15, 2020, an immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review ordered Aquino removed from the U.S. to Mexico."

Two days later, officers transported Aquino Enriquez to Mexico. 

"On an unknown date and at an unknown location, Aquino illegally re-entered the U.S. On April 15, 2024, ERO Houston immigration officers encountered Aquino at the Montgomery County (Texas) Jail following his arrest for allegedly assaulting a woman and her infant child and an immigration detainer was lodged with the jail," the spokesperson said.

"Our office, alongside the community, mourns the tragic loss of this young life. We are committed to ensuring justice is served and are determined to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future," the sheriff's office said.