A 38-year-old illegal immigrant charged with snatching a 4-year-old girl from a Patchogue, New York, laundromat was re-arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after local authorities released him back into the community, the Department of Homeland Security told the New York Post.

Carlos Corte had been arrested by Suffolk County police on March 28 for the alleged kidnapping. He was arraigned in First District Court in Central Islip, pleaded not guilty, and walked out on non-monetary release conditions. DHS says he should never have been freed, and that "sanctuary politicians" are to blame.

The case lays bare, once again, the real-world cost when local jurisdictions refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. A man DHS says was deported at least three times re-entered the country, allegedly committed a serious crime against a child, and was put back on the street before ICE stepped in.

What happened on East Main Street

Suffolk police said the incident unfolded around noon on March 28 at a laundromat on East Main Street in Patchogue. A woman was inside with her two children when Corte, described by police as unknown to the family, allegedly led her 4-year-old daughter out the back exit of the building, Patch reported.

Patrol officers responded, reviewed surveillance video, and canvassed the area. During the search, the mother found her daughter in the children's play area of the Patchogue-Medford Library, also on East Main Street. A patrol officer located Corte near the laundromat and took him into custody.

Fifth Squad detectives charged him with second-degree kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child, and on an outstanding warrant.

Released, then re-arrested

Online court records show Corte pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and was released on non-monetary conditions. A temporary order of protection was issued. The exact terms of his release were not specified in the records.

That release set the stage for a now-familiar collision between local sanctuary policies and federal immigration law. DHS told the New York Post that "sanctuary politicians released him from jail back into the community." ICE then re-arrested Corte, though the precise date and circumstances of the federal arrest were not disclosed.

The pattern mirrors cases across the country where jurisdictions decline to honor ICE detainers, forcing federal agents to track suspects down after the fact, often at greater risk to the public and to officers. In Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, a similar dispute erupted when officials released an illegal immigrant charged with child rape rather than hand him to ICE.

Three deportations, a fourth re-entry, and an alleged kidnapping

DHS provided a damning immigration history to the New York Post. The agency said Corte illegally entered the country at least three times in 2020 and was removed each time. He then allegedly re-entered a fourth time at an unknown place and date before the March 28 incident.

Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis did not mince words. She told the New York Post:

"This three-time deported criminal illegal alien, Carlos Corte-Corte, kidnapped an innocent four-year-old girl from a laundromat on Long Island. New York sanctuary politicians chose to release this kidnapper from jail to prey on more innocent children rather than cooperate with ICE law enforcement."

Bis continued, broadening her criticism of local officials who block cooperation with federal agents. She said the consequences are predictable and preventable.

"Sanctuary politicians must stop putting politics above public safety. This type of insanity leads to more crimes and more innocent victims. Thanks to our ICE law enforcement, this sicko is off our streets."

Those are sharp words from a senior DHS official, and they land differently when the alleged victim is four years old.

A broader enforcement picture

The Corte case is not an isolated data point. ICE has been arresting illegal immigrants convicted of attempted murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault across multiple states, building a record of enforcement actions against individuals with violent criminal histories who remained in communities despite prior contact with law enforcement.

In South Texas, federal authorities recently dismantled a smuggling ring that kidnapped a family and assaulted a pregnant woman. The thread connecting these cases is straightforward: when immigration enforcement breaks down at the local level, the federal government is left picking up the pieces, sometimes after another crime has already been committed.

Corte's Legal Aid Society attorney did not respond to a request for comment. Patch noted that attorneys for the society do not normally comment on cases outside of court.

What remains unanswered

Several questions hang over this case. The exact date and location of ICE's re-arrest have not been disclosed. The specific non-monetary conditions under which Corte was released remain unclear. DHS said his fourth illegal entry occurred at an "unknown place and time," which raises its own questions about border security gaps.

Whether the 4-year-old girl was physically harmed has not been addressed publicly. She was found in the library's children's play area during the search, a detail that offers some relief but leaves the full picture incomplete.

The broader debate over sanctuary policies continues to intensify. Critics, including DHS officials, argue that refusing to cooperate with ICE detainers puts communities at risk. Defenders of sanctuary policies often shift blame to federal enforcement priorities or argue that cooperation erodes trust between immigrant communities and local police.

But trust is a two-way street. The mother in that Patchogue laundromat trusted that the man arrested for allegedly taking her daughter would stay behind bars. He didn't.

A man deported three times walked back into the country, allegedly walked a child out the back door of a laundromat, and then walked out of a courtroom on non-monetary release. If that sequence doesn't discredit sanctuary policy on its own terms, nothing will.