Martinez-Maldonado is accused of raping the girl on Sept. 27 attack aboard a Greyhound bus to Kansas. He has two prior misdemeanor convictions for entering without legal permission in cases prosecuted in 2013 and 2015 in U.S. District Court of Arizona. He was sentenced to serve 60 days and 165 days respectively.
In a surprising public statement, David Trevino, the Topeka immigration attorney who has helped the Martinez-Maldonado family in the past is quoted as saying “(President-elect Donald Trump) can build a wall 100 feet high and 50 feet deep, but it is not going to keep family members separated. So if someone is deported and they have family members here … they will find a way back — whether it is through the air, under a wall, through the coast of the United States.” I am not sure that immigration advocates will welcome such public statements which will only magnify the anger on the Capitol Hill where the Martinez-Maldonado has already gotten the attention of powerful members.
As the Congress moves into the new session, this and a couple other cases appear to be the likely focus of possible hearings and legislation in a push for an immigration crackdown — a major campaign promise by President elect Donald Trump.