Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and other members of Tennessee’s representation in Congress are asking why a criminal illegal immigrant named Camilo Hurtado Campos was able to stay in the US for over two decades. Campos was recently arrested in Franklin, Tennessee, after restaurant workers allegedly discovered photos and videos on his phone showing him raping and abusing unconscious children.
Detectives have since allegedly found hundreds of videos and photos of Campos abusing of at least 10 boys between the ages of 9 and 17.
The members of Congress wrote a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Mayorkas has presided over an unprecedented surge in illegal border crossings.
According to Customs and Border Protection, thousands of illegal border crossers each year are criminals who have committed crimes ranging from terrorist acts to murder.
Read excerpts from the letter below.
“In a complete breakdown of the rule of law, Campos was allowed to remain in the country even though he has a criminal record, having previously been charged with public intoxication and three instances of driving without a license… While this administration has spent years defending its failed border policies as compassionate and humane, there is nothing compassionate about policies that allow a child sexual predator and serial rapist to remain in an American community undetected for more than two decades. The simple fact remains: if Camilo Campos had been arrested at any point in the past twenty years for his violation of federal law, these precious children would not have been subjected to his horrific abuse.”
“President Biden’s decision to allow over 1.5 million “gotaways” to enter the country without consequence is a blatant dereliction of duty, particularly because we know that this group of migrants who evade our border patrol agents often have criminal records and are potentially the most dangerous. Because of this administration’s policies, every state has become a border state, and every town has become a border town.”
“This administration must do more to protect our children and secure our southern border. Please respond to the following questions by July 24, 2023: Was DHS aware that Camilo Campos was in the country illegally? If so, when did the Department become aware of Campos’s immigration status… If not, why was the Department unaware of Campos’s immigration status? Was Campos provided a Notice to Appear when he entered the country illegally?… Did the Department initiate any enforcement actions against Campos?”
Click here to read full letter or see below.
VIA ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION
The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas Secretary
Department of Homeland Security Washington, D.C. 20528
Dear Secretary Mayorkas:
July 17, 2023
We write to express our disgust with this administration’s complete failure to secure our border and enforce the rule of law, the effects of which are impacting communities and families across the country. President Biden’s decision to allow over 1.5 million “gotaways” (1) to enter the country without consequence is a blatant dereliction of duty, particularly because we know that this group of migrants who evade our border patrol agents often have criminal records and are potentially the most dangerous. Because of this administration’s policies, every state has become a border state, and every town has become a border town. But recently, Tennesseans have been hit the hardest.
Camilo Hurtado Campos was arrested on June 23, 2023, in Franklin, Tennessee, after restaurant workers discovered photos and videos on his phone of him raping and abusing unconscious children. Detectives have since found hundreds of videos and photos of Campos’ unconscionable abuse of at least 10 boys between the ages of 9 and 17 years old. In addition to those 10 boys, five other individuals have come forward to say that they too were victims of Campos’s decade of abuse. Perhaps most devastating of all, this horrific abuse was entirely preventable — police confirmed on July 12 that Campos is an illegal immigrant who should not have been in our country in the first place. (2) Indeed, if this administration had any interest in enforcing our nation’s laws, he wouldn’t have been. In a complete breakdown of the rule of law, Campos was allowed to remain in the country even though he has a criminal record, having previously been charged with public intoxication and three instances of driving without a license. (3)
Investigators believe that Campos, who has lived illegally in the Franklin area for a staggering 20 years without detection by law enforcement, would recruit children at school playgrounds under the guise that he was a soccer coach who wanted them to play on his team. (4) He would then lure
1 Patrick Hauf, 1.5 Million ‘Gotaways’ at the Border Under the Biden Administration: Report, FOX NEWS (July 14, 2023 11:21 AM), https://www.foxnews.com/politics/million-gotaways-border-biden-administration-report.
2 Jordan Whittington & Kaitlin Miller, Police: Franklin Soccer Coach Accused of Raping Boys Entered US Illegally, FOX17 (July 12, 2023 3:53 PM), https://fox17.com/news/local/crime-alert-williamson-county-tennessee-camilo- hurtado-campos-police-franklin-soccer-coach-accused-of-raping-boys-entered-us-illegally.
3 Stephanie Langston, Franklin Soccer Coach Accused of Drugging, Raping Boys had Run-Ins with Law Enforcement Before, WKRN NEWS 2 (July 17, 2023 12:00 PM), https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/franklin- coach-accused-of-rape-had-previous-run-ins-with-the-law/amp/.
4 Tennessee Soccer Coach is Charged with Child Rape After Restaurant Workers Find Photos on His Phone, AP NEWS (July 10, 2023 10:56 AM), https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-soccer-coach-rape- 900e8104b45e0d1ab22d3669f5f23bee.
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the children to his home, drug them, and rape them. The abuse and trauma that Campos inflicted on these children is unthinkable. Our children should feel safe in their communities, and parents should not have to worry about sexual predators on our playgrounds. All Americans should be able to trust that federal law enforcement is working to keep them safe.
While this administration has spent years defending its failed border policies as compassionate and humane, there is nothing compassionate about policies that allow a child sexual predator and serial rapist to remain in an American community undetected for more than two decades. The simple fact remains: if Camilo Campos had been arrested at any point in the past twenty years for his violation of federal law, these precious children would not have been subjected to his horrific abuse. Violence against children is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, and Tennesseans deserve to know why the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) permitted this criminal to live in their community and abuse their children after entering the country illegally.
This administration must do more to protect our children and secure our southern border. Please respond to the following questions by July 24, 2023:
- Was DHS aware that Camilo Campos was in the country illegally?
- If so, when did the Department become aware of Campos’s immigration status?
- If so, please provide all documentation in the Department’s possession, custody, or control related to Campos, his criminal record, and/or his immigration status.
- If not, why was the Department unaware of Campos’s immigration status?
- Was Campos provided a Notice to Appear when he entered the country illegally?
- If so, when was his court date and did he appear?
- If not, why not?
- Did the Department initiate any enforcement actions against Campos?
a. In responding to this question, please provide all documentation in the Department’s possession, custody, or control related to any legal proceedings or enforcement actions—or decisions not to bring enforcement actions—against Campos.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
Marsha Blackburn -United States Senator
Mark E. Green, M.D. – Member of Congress
Tim Burchett – Member of Congress
Chuck Fleischmann – Member of Congress
Andy Ogles – Member of Congress
Scott DesJarlais, M.D – Member of Congress
Diana Harshbarger -Member of Congress
John Rose – Member of Congress
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