Originally released under Montgomery County’s sanctuary policies, Oscar Adalberto Penate, 56, was re-arrested by ICE in Pottstown on charges of sexually assaulting a child, officials say.

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

A man accused of sexually assaulting a child was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Pottstown days after Montgomery County officials released him under sanctuary policies, ICE announced on Tuesday, July 29.

Oscar Adalberto Penate, 56, a citizen of El Salvador, was taken into custody on Sunday, July 27, by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Philadelphia, Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia, and IRS Philadelphia.

Penate had been arrested on Tuesday, July 22, by Pottstown Township Police and charged with multiple felonies, including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person under 16, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, indecent assault of a child under 13, corruption of minors, and indecent assault without consent. The charges are still pending, authorities said.

Despite an active ICE detainer, officials at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility released him due to county sanctuary policies.

“If the elected officials in Montgomery County are not going to protect the citizens of the county, we will,” said ICE ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Brian McShane. “An illegal alien who committed a crime by unlawfully entering the United States, who is then charged with heinous crimes like this, should never be released to prey on the citizens of Montgomery County.”

Penate told investigators he entered the U.S. illegally in 1998 by crossing the Texas border. His record includes a 2001 Houston arrest for resisting arrest, search, or transport, for which he pleaded guilty.

Penate will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Anyone with information about crimes or suspicious activity is urged to call the ICE Tip Line at 866-347-2423 or file a report online.