by Jennie Taer
Police in Bemidji, Minnesota, found 11 illegal immigrants in a local house after a minor was allegedly sexually assaulted, the Bemidji Police Department said in a recent Facebook post.
The Sanford Bemidji Medical Center’s Emergency Department alerted the Bemidji Police Department to the situation involving a girl that stated she’d been sexually assaulted, according to the Facebook post. Authorities arrested Oscar Ernesto Luna (pictured above), 22, who is now charged with first degree criminal sexual conduct, and handed the 11 illegal immigrants to Border Patrol.
The victim, an 11-year-old girl, arrived at the emergency room with severe injuries, according to local news outlet KARE 11, which cited a criminal complaint.
The victim said her “auntie” forced her into a car, which then went to the house where several men tied her up and raped her, according to KARE 11. At least two other girls were reportedly tied up in the home, one of whom helped 11-year-old victim to escape.
“Officers with the Bemidji Police Department immediately responded and spoke with the adults who brought the juvenile to the Emergency Department. Officers were given several possible addresses where this sexual assault occurred in the City of Bemidji,” the police department said in the post.
“This is an ongoing investigation. The Bemidji Police Department was assisted by the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Crime Scene Team, US Border Patrol, and US Dept of Homeland Security,” the department continued.
Border Patrol has seen a surge in illegal immigration nationwide, recording more than 1.8 million migrant encounters between October 2022 and August, according to federal statistics.
A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Jennie Taer is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Oscar Ernesto Luna” by Hennepin County Jail.
