Wilfrido Alberto Maurath Tacuri, 49, was arrested Friday in East Hampton on multiple rape charges, authorities announced.
The Ecuadorian national was taken into custody by the East Hampton Town Police Detective Division following an investigation into allegations that he had raped a victim on multiple occasions at a residence on Muir Boulevard near Three Mile Harbor, according to police.
Tacuri is an undocumented immigrant who entered the United States on an unknown date and at an unknown location, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States,” a DHS spokesperson said.
The spokesperson did not elaborate on how long Tacuri had been in the country or whether he had any prior encounters with immigration authorities.
At the time of his arrest, Tacuri was being held at police headquarters and was scheduled to be arraigned Friday at East Hampton Town Justice Court. Police indicated the investigation remains ongoing.
Mugshot photos distributed by authorities showed Tacuri appearing to be on the verge of tears.
The arrest has drawn renewed attention to East Hampton’s recent adoption of local laws that restrict police cooperation with federal immigration authorities on civil immigration enforcement matters.
Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) had previously threatened to withhold $9 million in federal funds intended for infrastructure upgrades in both East Hampton Town and East Hampton Village, citing the municipality’s sanctuary-style policies. That threat came in June and targeted the same restrictions that now surround the Tacuri case.
The East Hampton Town Police Department could not be reached for comment on the arrest or its potential implications for the ongoing local debate over immigration enforcement.
The allegations against Tacuri emerged after police responded to a home on Muir Boulevard, where an unidentified victim reported having been raped on multiple occasions.
Tacuri faces three counts of rape in connection with the alleged assaults.