A convicted rapist was released by Howard County corrections officials and subsequently rearrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), creating a stir over local compliance with federal immigration detainers. The individual in question, 20-year-old Honduran national Alex Yonatan Flores-Arce, served a drastically reduced portion of his 15-year sentence for second-degree rape, a decision that ICE claims endangers public safety. As reported by WMAR-2 News, Flores-Arce was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of probation after his conviction in April 2025. Still, Howard County Circuit Court Judge Lara Weathersbee mandated that he only complete 193 days behind bars.
Despite being a registered Tier III sex offender and ICE lodging an immigration detainer, Flores-Arce was released on May 5 by Howard County, which has a history of non-cooperation with the federal agency. According to a statement detailed by Daily Voice, Acting Field Office Director Nikita Baker from ICE Baltimore expressed concern over the county's actions, stating, "The decision by Howard County Detention Center to ignore our immigration detainer and release a removable individual with an egregious criminal history undermines public safety and put Maryland communities at risk." After violating probation just three days later, Flores-Arce was arrested and once again released, this time on his recognizance, last Thursday.
ICE agents were waiting for Flores-Arce when he was allowed to walk out of the Howard County Detention Center, and he now remains in ICE custody with a final administrative removal order.
