STERLING, VA – Late on Thursday and in the early hours of Friday, officers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Washington Dulles International Airport apprehended two Salvadoran men accused of separate felony rape charges in Maryland. The arrests thwarted their attempts to flee to El Salvador.
The first apprehension took place on Thursday when officers arrested Oscar Armando Hernandez Mata, 53, on a Montgomery County, Maryland warrant for felony second-degree rape and sexual abuse of a minor. Hernandez Mata, an alien unlawfully present in the U.S. following a removal order by an immigration judge in 2006, was intercepted at the departure gate at 4:48 p.m., ahead of his flight to El Salvador.
CBP’s National Targeting Center had notified the officers at Dulles about Hernandez Mata’s scheduled departure, enabling the timely arrest.
The second arrest happened nine hours later when officers apprehended Carlos Ernesto Osorto Molina, 53, a U.S. lawful permanent resident, on a Prince George’s County, Maryland warrant for felony second-degree rape. The apprehension occurred at 1:56 a.m. on Friday as Osorto Molina attempted to board a different flight to El Salvador.
Officers at Dulles identified Osorto Molina as a warrant subject while reviewing departing international flights.
Both Hernandez Mata and Osorto Molina were handed over to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police.
It’s important to note that criminal charges are allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Christine Waugh, CBP’s Acting Area Port Director at the Area Port of Washington, D.C., emphasized that these arrests underscore CBP’s ongoing commitment to supporting law enforcement efforts.