El Salvador man wanted for raping child in home country detained in Philadelphia: 'Dangerous criminal alien'

An El Salvador man wanted for sex crimes involving a minor in his home country was detained in Philadelphia by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE removed Francisco Javier Melendez Torres, who was wanted by law enforcement in El Salvador for aggravated rape of a minor and sexual harassment, on Jan. 31. He entered the United States illegally and had a final order of removal issued in December 2024.

“The removal of Francisco Javier Melendez Torres, a dangerous criminal alien wanted for aggravated rape of a minor in El Salvador, highlights the dangers individuals like him pose to our communities,” said Brian McShane, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations acting Philadelphia field office director.

McShane said ICE is “committed to ensuring that dangerous individuals like Melendez Torres do not find safe harbor” in the U.S. or threaten American citizens.

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Melendez Torres was first arrested by U.S. Border Patrol on Feb. 5, 1986, near Rio Grande, Texas. He was served with an order to show cause and notice of hearing, charging inadmissibility, according to ICE Philadelphia. He was released the same day on an order of recognizance.

He was granted voluntary departure on Nov. 17, 1986, by an immigration judge in Harlingen, Texas, and was required to return to El Salvador by Dec. 29, 1986.

He was deported once he failed to leave by that date.

In this June 5, 2014 photo, a Border Patrol agent uses a headset and computer to conduct a long distance interview by video with a person arrested crossing the border in Texas, from a facility in San Diego. Hit with a dramatic increase of Central Americans crossing in South Texas, the Border Patrol is relieving staffing woes by enlisting agents in less busy sectors to process arrests through video interviews. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

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At some point, Melendez Torres returned to the U.S. and was convicted of driving while impaired in Hempstead, New York, on Sept. 12, 1994. The court sentenced him to five days in jail.

He left the U.S. again at an unknown date, and returned without inspection or parole by an immigration official.

He was convicted in Hempstead, New York, again, of disorderly conduct on April 30, 2014, and was sentenced to time served.

ICE arrested him in Levittown, New York, on Oct. 25, 2024, during “a targeted enforcement action” and served him with a notice to appear, charging inadmissibility.