PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Federal immigration officials have placed a hold on a man accused of sexually assaulting a young girl at an elementary school in Phoenix last week.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Wednesday that the agency has lodged a detainer with the Maricopa County Jail for 25-year-old Abel Kai Gblah, calling him “a criminal alien from Liberia.” A detainer is a request from ICE to another law enforcement agency, asking that they be notified before releasing “a removable alien,” so the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has time to assume custody.

According to ICE, Gblah came into the U.S. in 2011 and was granted a Green Card for permanent residence. He attended Orangewood Elementary as a child.

Gblah is jailed in connection with an assault

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