An illegal alien from Mexico has been charged with raping an underage girl in Idaho, authorities say.
On Aug. 9, the Meridian Police Department (MPD) responded to a reported sexual assault against a minor.
Jose Alberto Moreno Cortes, 32, was arrested on Aug. 11 and charged with Child Sexual Battery – Lewd or Lascivious Acts on a Minor Child 16 or 17 Years of Age.
Moreno Cortes had been communicating with the victim via text and they agreed to meet, investigators say.
“It was determined that Moreno Cortes provided transportation for the juvenile to and from his location, where he engaged in sexual acts with her,” MPD explained in a news release.
Moreno Cortes is being held in the Ada County jail on $1 million bail.
“On August 13, ICE encountered Jose Alberto Moreno Cortes, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, while in the custody of local authorities. On August 11, Moreno Cortes was arrested in Meridian, Idaho for sexual battery committed by lewd or lascivious acts on a minor. He was charged in Ada County, Idaho for felony rape. He was previously convicted three times for failure to purchase, resulting in fines,” a DHS spokesperson explained in a statement to Border Hawk.
“Moreno Cortes was first granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in November 2013 under the Obama administration.”
“Illegal aliens who claim to be recipients of DACA are not automatically protected from deportations. DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country. Any illegal alien who is a DACA recipient may be subject to arrest and deportation for a number of reasons including if they’ve committed a crime. From January 20, 2025, to July 31, 2026, nearly 90% of DACA recipients arrested by ICE were charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.”
An investigation is ongoing.
