U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged an immigration detainer against a Louisville, Kentucky, Lyft driver accused of sexually assaulting a female passenger earlier this month, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Yordan Basilio Diaz Vera, 34, of Louisville, is charged with first-degree sodomy, kidnapping and menacing following a Feb. 4 incident involving a mother of four who had scheduled a ride to a doctor’s appointment, according to a DHS release.
The Department of Homeland Security said Diaz Vera is a Cuban national who entered the United States illegally in November 2022 and was later released into the country. ICE lodged the detainer following his arrest by local authorities.
According to an incident report cited by Fox News Digital, Diaz Vera allegedly diverted from the intended route, drove the victim to a parking lot, revealed a firearm from the glove compartment and entered the backseat of the vehicle. Police said the victim attempted to escape but was unable to open the locked door. Authorities allege Diaz Vera forced her into sexual acts before driving her to her medical appointment.
Louisville Metro Police arrested Diaz Vera the following day. Bond was set at $100,000 cash, according to local reporting.
Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said the suspect had been released into the country after entering illegally.
“Yordan Basilio Diaz Vera was released into our communities under the Biden administration before he went on to brutally sodomize a mother of four at gunpoint in Louisville,” Bis said in a statement released by DHS. “This criminal illegal alien is a monster who has no right to be in our country, and this crime was entirely preventable.”
Bis said ICE has requested that local authorities notify federal immigration officials before any release.
“We have lodged an arrest detainer requesting local authorities notify ICE law enforcement instead of releasing this predator from jail into Louisville neighborhoods,” she said.
“The subject was taken into custody quickly due to the prompt reporting and timely investigative actions by the LMPD SVU Office of Sexual and Physical Investigations,” the department said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
A Lyft spokesperson said the company permanently removed Diaz Vera from its platform and is cooperating with law enforcement.
“The behavior described is reprehensible and has no place in the Lyft community or society,” the spokesperson said.
The case was also referenced in posts from Breanna Morello and Border Hawk, both citing the Department of Homeland Security release.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that ICE has placed an immigration detainer on Diaz Vera, which would request that local authorities transfer custody to federal officials should he be released from local custody.
