New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez is claiming his office did not know that one of their unpaid interns was an undocumented immigrant who was also a registered sex offender. A report by The Associated Press surfaced on Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security had instructed federal agents not to arrest the 18-year-old intern until after Election Day.
According to the AP, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Luis Abrahan Sanchez Zavaleta, of Peru, on December 6. Menendez's office later issued an explanation for his hiring after the explosive report was published.
In an emailed statement, Tricia Enright, Menendez's communications director, said, "Luis Sanchez was an unpaid college intern in our Newark office for approximately 2 months. No staff member responsible for managing the internship program had reason to believe, based on their interview process, that Sanchez had any criminal background or immigration issues. Clearly Mr. Sanchez sought to deceive our staff."
The Washington Post reported that Enright added, "Upon notification from authorities of his arrest, Mr. Sanchez's relationship with our office immediately ended. Senator Menendez was briefed on the situation today-and he is appalled. He has no tolerance for those who violate the law and expects the authorities to continue to prosecute the case."
The report released by the AP stated that Homeland Security had ordered federal agents to wait until after the Election to arrest Sanchez. However, Peter Boogaard, a Homeland Security spokesman called the accusation "categorically false."
In an emailed statement, Boogaard said, "ICE followed standard process in coordination with its federal partners and local prosecutors before taking appropriate enforcement action."
Menendez, a Democrat, won the re-election in November, taking 59 percent of the vote over Republican challenger, state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos from Monmouth, NJ.com reported. During an interview with MSNBC, Menendez said there was "no way we could know about his status" or "his background" as a sex offender.
According to the Washington Post, Menendez also took time from his MSNBC interview to add that Sanchez's arrest "does speak volumes about why we need comprehensive immigration reform, because we can't know who is here to pursue the American dream versus who is here to do it damage."