An illegal immigrant who had previously entered the United States at least three times was arrested after allegedly kidnapping a four-year-old child, sparking renewed debate over judicial release decisions.
Suffolk County Police arrested Carlos Corte-Corte in Patchogue after he allegedly led a 4-year-old girl out of a laundromat’s rear exit without her mother’s knowledge.
The incident occurred at 12:08 p.m. March 28th. Police responded to the mother’s report of a missing child, reviewed surveillance footage, and located the girl in the children’s play area at the nearby Patchogue-Medford Library.
Officers found Corte-Corte near the laundromat and took him into custody.
Corte-Corte faces charges of second-degree kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child, along with an active warrant. The laundromat owner, identified only as Steve, told the New York Post that security video showed Corte-Corte speaking with the girl for several minutes in the rear of the store.
“The mom ran out and actually caught him at the library. The cops were called, when they got there (Corte) told the police ‘she didn’t have parents,’” Steve said.
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Court Release and Immigration History
During arraignment at Central Islip’s First District Court, a judge granted Corte-Corte supervised release on a GPS monitor. His attorney, Suffolk County legal aid lawyer Alexandra Dyroff, told the court: “Your honor my client has had zero interaction with law enforcement.
We’re asking for a release on his own recognizance. He thought the girl lived alone without parents.” Dyroff added that Corte-Corte took the child to the library and told an employee there, but faced a language barrier. “It seems to be a mistake,” she said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Corte-Corte on March 31 and began removal proceedings, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated.
Court records and DHS information show Corte-Corte, a citizen of Ecuador, entered the United States illegally at least three times in 2020 and was removed each time. He allegedly re-entered illegally a fourth time at an unknown location.
Federal Response
DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis addressed the case in a statement: “This three-time deported criminal illegal alien, Carlos Corte-Corte, kidnapped an innocent four-year-old girl from a laundromat on Long Island.”
Bis criticized New York’s sanctuary policies for the judge’s decision to release him. “New York sanctuary politicians chose to release this kidnapper from jail to prey on more innocent children rather than cooperate with ICE law enforcement.”
Why This Matters
The case shows gaps between local criminal proceedings and federal immigration enforcement. Corte-Corte remained in the community on GPS monitoring after the alleged kidnapping despite his prior deportations.
ICE’s later arrest removed him from the streets while removal proceedings continued.
Public safety concerns arise when individuals with repeated illegal entries face charges for crimes against children. The sequence of events, from the laundromat incident to court release to federal detention, shows how immigration status and local release decisions intersect in specific cases.
