ICE agent repeatedly raped and impregnated immigrant for seven years while threatening deportation, lawsuit claims
A Honduran woman has alleged that she was raped repeatedly over seven years by a US immigration agent, who threatened her with deportation should she speak out.
The woman, identified in a lawsuit as Jane Doe, is now seeking $10 million in damages from the US government for the assaults and psychological trauma, which resulted in three pregnancies that were terminated by abortions.
“My only comment is that my client had a choice: co-operate with ICE or be deported with her family,” George Kramer, the Connecticut woman’s attorney, told the Associated Press.
Mr Kramer continued: “She remains in a very fragile psychological state. She is not only seeking compensation for the physical and emotional damage she suffered, but to change the way those who are cooperating with ICE are treated by those in a position of power and who often wield total control over the ability to remain in the United States.”
The lawsuit alleges that the woman first met ICE agent Wilfredo Rodriguez in 2006, after her brother was arrested for entering the United States illegally. An ICE spokesperson told The Independent that Mr Rodriguez "has not been an employee of ICE for several years, and is not a current employee". The spokesperson declined to discuss the lawsuit further, citing agency policy not to comment publicly on ongoing litigation.
At that time, Mr Rodriguez learned that the woman was also undocumented, and told her that she must become an informant to help the immigration agency if she wanted to avoid deportation. She then did so, according to the lawsuit, but was sexually assaulted by Mr Rodriguez one year later in a motel.
Court documents indicate that Mr Rodriguez referred to himself as the “wolf”, and told her that he was the only reason why she and her family was not being deported. The continued assaults resulted in three pregnancies, according to court documents.
Mr Rodriguez later told the woman that he was leaving the agency, but warned her not to tell anyone about the assaults, otherwise “she and her family would pay”, court documents show.
It was not immediately clear if Mr Rodriguez had hired a lawyer to represent him. A request for comment sent by The Independent DHS was not returned.
The US attorney’s office in Connecticut declined to comment on whether criminal charges might be considered, when contacted for comment about the case.
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