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The uncle of a Honduran girl smuggled into the United States who was allegedly beaten, raped and tortured by him and a pair of illegal immigrants who "rescued" her was also her sponsor and was granted temporary protected status (TPS) by the Biden administration, authorities said Friday.

Felix Bustillo Diaz, a 49-year-old criminal illegal alien from Honduras, and Jose Gerber-Rivera, a 45-year-old Salvadoran national, are accused of raping the girl, who is Bustillo Diaz's grandneice. The pair were arrested in the Houston area .

"The conduct uncovered in this investigation was both disturbing and inexcusable," said Homeland Security Investigations Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz.

"Our agents and partners worked

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