A 6-year-old girl was kidnapped from her own home overnight in Washington Borough, New Jersey, and authorities say she was sexually assaulted before making her way back home on foot. The man charged, Lester Noe Perez-Amador, is an illegal immigrant who should never have had the chance to commit this crime.

Federal officials confirm Perez-Amador was already in ICE custody once before, arrested in a DUI case in March 2024. Instead of being removed from the country, he was released back into the community. The Department of Homeland Security says plainly that this release "failed to get this criminal illegal alien off of our streets" the first time — and is now urging Washington Township to transfer him into ICE custody so it doesn't happen again.

Local authorities should not repeat that mistake. Washington Township and Warren County must fully cooperate with the ICE detainer and ensure Perez-Amador is transferred to federal custody for deportation once the criminal case concludes, instead of allowing another gap for him to slip through. Warren County Prosecutor Jessica L. Cardone has pledged to pursue this case fully — that pursuit should end with him removed from the country, not released again.

An innocent child paid the price once for a system that let a known offender go free. Sign the petition now to demand Washington Township and Warren County honor the ICE detainer and support Perez-Amador's deportation, so he never gets another chance to harm a child in this country.