An illegal immigrant charged in the assault of an Ottawa woman last month on the Prairie Spirit Trail in East Central Kansas is due in Anderson County District Court for a preliminary hearing December 10, as president-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to use the U.S. Military to begin mass deportations of illegals beginning with criminals takes center state in the national conversation.
Porfirio De La Cruz-Cantu is currently being held in the Anderson County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bond in connection with the attack that occurred October 10th in which a female Ottawa bicyclist told law officers Cruze-Cantu knocked her from her bicycle as she passed him on the trail near the Scipio access and attempted to rape her, stuffing leaves in her mouth as she struggled on the ground screaming for help. The woman said she was able to fight De La Cruz off and escape to a nearby residence. De La Cruz was apprehended a short time later riding his bicycle on U.S. 59 Highway after officers sent his photo to other officers who were tending the victim.
The incident brings a Kansas focus to national headlines on illegal immigrant crime and what’s being viewed as a public mandate in the recent presidential election that federal action be taken to curtail illegal immigration. A Biden Administration surge in illegal entries into the U.S.,following Trump-era border policies that Biden rescinded on his first day in office, critics say resulted in as many as 8 million illegals entering the country since 2021.
NBC News quoted anonymous sources “close to the campaign” earlier this as saying Trump also planned to focus on Chinese illegals, given the security risk with the U.S. chief technological adversary.
Details about when De La Cruz-Cantu entered the country and the circumstances of his arrival have not come to light so far, though his wife told authorities they were Mexican citizens and were in the country illegally. The two worked at a Garnett Mexican restaurant located on North Maple Street.
Though statistically both legal and illegal immigrants commit crimes at a lower rate than native-born populations, most recently quoted studies don’t include data of the most recent illegal immigration surge since 2021. What is known is that high-profile incidents recently include the post-2021 influence of organized crime like Venezuela’s Tren De Aragua gang, the conviction of Jose Ibarra for the murder of Georgia college student Lakin Riley, as well as the alleged takeover of Colorado apartment complexes by immigrant gangs has brought the issue to the forefront of American discourse.
A Republican-led report from the House Judiciary Committee said 250 migrants whose names are on the international terror watch list were detained at the U.S. southern border in the years 2021, 2022 and 2023, and 99 of those were allowed to enter and settle in the U.S. On Tuesday, President-elect Trump confirmed his campaign pledge to use the U.S. Military to begin deportations of illegals, beginning with criminals, after he takes office in January.
De La Cruz’ hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Dec. 10 before Magistrate Judge Cara Reynolds.
Dane Hicks is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School at Quantico, VA. He is the author of novels "The Skinning Tree" and "A Whisper For Help." As publisher of the Anderson County Review in Garnett, KS., he is a recipient of the Kansas Press Association's Boyd Community Service Award as well as more than 60 awards for excellence in news, editorial and photography.
