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Victorino Romero was initially arrested by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit on Tuesday, Dec. 19, following a joint investigation with Teaneck police, records show.
They accused him of sexually assaulting a youngster that criminal records say was between 13 and 16 years old.
Romero, who is married, was sent to the county jail in Hackensack to await a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court on two counts of aggravated sexual assault, three counts of aggravated criminal sexual contact and one of child endangerment, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stepped in on Wednesday, filing a formal request with the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office that Romero remain jailed 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 go to the county lockup.
An immigration judge will hold a hearing in federal court in Newark to determine whether Romero, listed in jail records as a Guatemalan national, should be deported – and if so, when.
If a local judge in Hackensack orders Romero’s release for some reason -- say, bail reform -- ICE has requested a 48-hour hold 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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