An illegal immigrant from El Salvador has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for repeatedly raping an 11-year-old girl in Virginia Beach, local officials announced Wednesday.
The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office reported Ricardo Leonel Mejia’s detention status on X, citing “numerous public inquiries” over his case.
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“Mejia, a citizen of El Salvador, will serve his 30-year sentence at the Virginia Department of Corrections before being transferred to ICE custody,” according to the post.
The case has sparked debate among Virginia’s leaders, who disagree on whether the state should limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
According to the Republican Governors Association, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger has stated that one of her first acts in power will be to repeal Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s immigration enforcement measures, effectively making Virginia a “sanctuary state.”
This policy would prohibit local law enforcement from supporting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in circumstances such as Mejia’s, in which ICE issued a detainer for an undocumented immigrant convicted of a violent offense.
Winsome Earle-Sears, a Virginia GOP governor candidate, reacted by posting on X that she was “sickened beyond words.”
Meija, 35, was found guilty of multiple counts of raping a child under 13, indecent liberties with a minor, and statutory burglary after pleading guilty in Virginia Beach Circuit Court, according to papers obtained by Fox News Digital.
The assaults occurred in 2024, after Mejia was hired to refurbish a family’s bathroom.
The assault was uncovered when the victim’s mother found him in her daughter’s bed after busting open a closed door with a butter knife.
Mejia left the house through a window but was subsequently apprehended and detained.
ICE confirmed that Mejia was in the country unlawfully and issued a detainer.
Following his term at the Virginia Department of Corrections, ICE announced that he would be taken to detention for additional procedures.
During his sentencing, Mejia apologized to the victim, saying, “I understand I am not the only one going through difficult circumstances. I am sorry for her sorrow during this process.”
According to records, Mejia was lodged into the Virginia Beach Correctional Center on October 9, 2024.
