U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has filed an immigration detainer request in Virginia for 35-year-old Ricardo Leonel Mejia, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, following his conviction and 30-year prison sentence for multiple counts of raping an 11-year-old girl.
Earlier this week, Mejia was sentenced after he pleaded guilty on June 17, 2025, confessing to the assault of the young girl on three separate occasions in 2024. According to a press release from Virginia Beach, Mejia’s first encounter with the child occurred in the family bathroom when her parents were away, with subsequent assaults taking place at night in her bedroom.
Hired by the victim’s parents for bathroom renovations, Mejia’s predatory behavior culminated when the mother discovered him “naked in her daughter’s bed.”
Following his prison term, he is set to be handed over to federal authorities for deportation.
“The actions of Ricardo Leonel Mejia are beyond comprehension. This reprehensible individual inflicted unimaginable harm on a young girl within her own home,” stated Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in a press release.
“ICE has submitted an arrest detainer to guarantee that he is expelled from our country after serving his sentence, ensuring he cannot inflict further harm on innocent children. The Biden Administration had previously labeled this heinous criminal a non-enforcement priority, allowing him to be free to commit such egregious acts.” she added. “Our dedicated ICE personnel work tirelessly to apprehend and expel dangerous individuals every day.”
The DHS press release indicates that an immigration judge had previously terminated Mejia’s removal proceedings on July 25, 2023, under the previous administration, effectively permitting him to remain illegally in the United States. His method of entry into the country remains undisclosed.
Additionally, Mejia has a record of four prior convictions for traffic offenses, including driving without a license and driving on a suspended license on three occasions.
DHS emphasized Mejia’s criminal history in an X post, commending ICE for their role in removing such hazardous individuals from the nation.
This illegal alien MONSTER repeatedly raped an 11-year-old girl in her own home, after being hired to renovate her family’s bathroom.
His prior designation as a “non-enforcement priority” by the Biden Administration allowed him to evade the law and prey on innocent children.
These are the kinds of depraved criminals that our courageous @ICEgov law enforcement officers apprehend and expel from America every day.
This illegal alien MONSTER repeatedly raped an 11-year-old girl in her own home, after being hired to renovate her family’s bathroom.
His prior designation as a “non-enforcement priority” by the Biden Administration allowed him to evade the law and prey on innocent children.
These… pic.twitter.com/fjbnaZIxl4
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) October 11, 2025
In response to these developments, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller criticized the Democratic Party, specifically targeting Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, and Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, for allegedly prioritizing the preservation of illegal immigration over public safety.
The entire Democrat Party, from Schumer to Pritzker to Spanberger, appears utterly devoted to the aim of maintaining all illegal aliens within our borders, irrespective of the resulting consequences or suffering.
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) October 11, 2025
