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Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said members of his Special Victims Unit seized Hector Angel Tangamasi-Shique, 31, on Friday, Dec. 15, after being alerted by Hackensack police of alleged assaults on a victim under 16.
He was charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and two lesser counts each of aggravated criminal sexual contact and child endangerment – one through sexual conduct and the other through abuse, records show.
Then on Monday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement filed a formal request with the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office that Tangamasi-Shique remain held until a hearing can be held to determine his residency status in the United States.
Such detainers are sought whenever immigrants suspected of living here illegally are jailed.
An immigration judge will hold a hearing in federal court in Newark to determine whether Tangamasi-Shique, listed in jail records as an Ecuadorian national, should be deported – and if so, when.
If a local judge in Hackensack orders Tangamasi-Shique’s release for some reason -- say, bail reform -- ICE has requested 48-hour notice so that immigration agents can take custody of him before that can happen.
Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton has honored such detainer requests for defendants who've been charged with or convicted of felonies.
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