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EXCLUSIVE TO FOX NEWS — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has informed Fox News Digital about a troubling case involving an illegal immigrant linked to a series of rapes spanning a decade in Indiana. The suspect, who has a history of criminal behavior, had been arrested twice by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The suspect, Leonel Catalan-Torreblanca, originally from Mexico, was apprehended on April 22. He now faces a daunting list of 30 charges, which include rape, sexual battery, criminal confinement, kidnapping, strangulation, and burglary. In response, ICE has placed an immigration detainer to prevent his release by Indiana authorities.
The DHS disclosed to Fox News Digital that Catalan-Torreblanca’s past includes convictions for a range of offenses, such as patronizing a prostitute, voyeurism, and several DUIs. These prior convictions highlight a pattern of criminal conduct that has now escalated to the current serious allegations.
This case raises significant concerns, as Catalan-Torreblanca had been previously detained by ICE during both the Obama and Biden administrations, pointing to systemic challenges in handling repeat offenders who are in the country illegally.
Leonel Catalan Torreblanca, a criminal illegal immigrant from Mexico, was previously arrested by ICE during the Obama and Biden administrations. (U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
It is unclear where and when he first illegally entered the U.S., but records show he was arrested by ICE in 2012 and was released under the Obama administration.
ICE arrested Catalan-Torreblanca again in 2017, and he voluntarily returned to Mexico in 2018.
He then illegally re-entered the U.S., a felony, in 2023 under the Biden administration, according to DHS.
Officials hosted a news conference Wednesday, when they unveiled the new charges. (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department)
The string of alleged sexual assaults spanned from March 2013 to January 2024, Fox News Digital previously reported.
While local and federal investigators previously linked the attacks through DNA left at the crime scenes, they lacked a suspect match because Catalan-Torreblanca’s DNA was not entered into any federal databases, officials said.
The case was finally cracked when an ICE DNA swab was entered into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database, triggering a direct match that led to his swift arrest.
The suspect was previously arrested by ICE but released under the Obama administration. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“Thanks to the incredible work of the men and women of federal law enforcement, this demented rapist’s ten-year crime spree is over. He is now facing 30 charges including rape, sexual battery, criminal confinement, kidnapping, strangulation, and burglary,” said DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis. “ICE is asking Indiana officials to hand him over to ICE custody. Indiana cooperates with ICE, so we will be able to work together to get him off our streets and out of our country.”
“Under President [Donald] Trump and [DHS] Secretary [Markwayne] Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are NOT welcome in the United States,” Bis added.