Immigration Under Trump: Hate Messages Flood Maryland High School After Alleged Rape

Hundreds of hate-filled emails and calls have been received by Rockville High School and the Montgomery County Public School District in Maryland following the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl by two other students, including one who authorities said came to the U.S. illegally from Central America.

Around 500 emails and 200 hate-based phone calls have been received, Derek Turner, a county school spokesman, told Fox News on Thursday. Threats included anonymous calls that claimed they will shoot undocumented immigrants in the school vicinity and burn down the school, according to CBS Baltimore.

Read: What Is VOICE? Trump's New Immigration Policy

The issue began flaring up after last Friday when 17-year-old Jose Montano and 18-year-old Henry Sanchez-Milian were charged with first-degree rape and two counts of first-degree sexual offense, according to the Associated Press. Police officials later revealed that Sanchez-Milian is an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala who came to the U.S. illegally in August and was caught by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Texas but was eventually released to live with his father.

Following Sanchez-Milian’s arrest in the alleged rape case, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have asked local law enforcement to hold the suspect for a pending immigration review but ICE officials would not comment on Montano’s citizenship due to his age.

The issue escalated and received national attention after being referenced during a White House briefing Tuesday. Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the case was “horrendous and horrible and disgusting.”

“I think part of the reason the President has made illegal immigration and crackdown such a big deal is because of tragedies like this,” he said.

On Thursday, during a visit to a nearby elementary school, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos also issued a statement about the case.

“As a mother of two daughters and grandmother of four young girls, my heart aches for the young woman and her family at the center of these terrible circumstances. We all have a common responsibility to ensure every student has access to a safe and nurturing learning environment,” the statement said, according to the AP.

Sanchez-Milian “will plead 100% not guilty,” his attorney, Andrew Jezic, said Wednesday, according to Fox News. Sanchez-Milian is due to appear in court on April 14 and Montano has a hearing scheduled for March 31.