Media attempts to obscure that suspect accused of sexually assaulting young girls in Michigan is an illegal alien

A man has been accused of breaking into a Michigan residence and sexually assaulting two young girls, but despite the severity of the crime, many media outlets have attempted to obscure the fact that the suspect in the case is in the United States illegally.

In the early morning hours of March 20, a man reportedly broke into a residence in the Sweet Lake Manufactured Housing & Camping Resort Community near Sturgis in southwestern Michigan. While there, he allegedly sexually assaulted two girls, both of whom are under 13 years of age.

Surveillance footage captured the vehicle in which the suspect fled, and police later located him. Before he could be questioned, however, the man fled the area, prompting a major manhunt involving local, county, and state police in both Michigan and Indiana and even federal agencies such as ICE, the FBI, and Homeland Security.

About a week after the vicious assault, the 25-year-old suspect was arrested in Fort Wayne, Indiana, about an hour south of where the attack took place. The man was charged with first-degree home invasion and two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

He was also issued an immigration detainer because he is a Mexican national who illegally broke into the U.S. at some point.

However, those interested in learning about the case but who have a habit of reading only article headlines likely missed that important fact. The following is a list of headlines about the case that popped up after a basic internet search:

• "Deputies: Man broke in, sexually assaulted children,"
• "Girls sexually assaulted in home invasion, suspect caught after 'extensive manhunt,'"
• "St. Joseph County home invasion/sexual assault suspect in custody," and
• "Suspect in sexual assault, home invasion at Sweet Lake Mobile Home Park arrested."

All four articles refer to the suspect as a "25-year-old Sturgis man." Two of the four withhold the information regarding the man's immigration status until almost the very end of the article.

The following brief news segment does not mention immigration until the final three seconds:

One local outlet, WWMT out of Kalamazoo, did report in its headline that an "undocumented migrant" had been arrested in connection with the case. It also discussed the details regarding immigration in the first two paragraphs.

St. Joseph County Undersheriff Jason Bingaman likewise mentioned the information during a press conference: "From what I understand, he’s here illegally."

The name of the suspect has not yet been released. The case remains under investigation.

The sexual assaults of the young girls in Sturgis are just the latest high-profile Michigan crimes allegedly involving an illegal immigrant. Late last month, another illegal immigrant, 25-year-old Brandon Ortiz-Vite, allegedly murdered Ruby Garcia, a 25-year-old Grand Rapids woman.

Police also believe that criminal gangs from Chile are responsible for a series of burglaries in affluent homes in some Detroit suburbs. However, those suspects are not technically illegal immigrants since they are in the country on a federal Visa Waiver Program.

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