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Lebanese woman accuses ICE officer of sexual assault and green card offer at Texas facility

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Summary

  • Rahaf Ali Almerhij, a 21-year-old Lebanese detainee, accuses ICE deportation officer Markell Wallace of sexually assaulting her at the El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas.
  • She says Wallace offered to help her obtain a green card in exchange for sex and threatened her husband with imprisonment and deportation.
  • She made the allegations in a sworn declaration to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General in October 2026.
  • The Department of Homeland Security says allegations of misconduct at El Valle are false and rejects the accusations.
  • Her earlier complaints to the watchdog in spring 2026 concerned denied specialist eye care and detention conditions, not the assault allegation.

Reactions

  • The Department of Homeland Security said the allegations are false, that misconduct claims are investigated thoroughly, and that substantiated incidents draw appropriate action.
  • The department said it would neither confirm nor deny the officer's identity, saying publicizing officers' identities endangers them and their families.
  • Markell Wallace confirmed his identity by telephone but ended the call when asked about the allegations and did not answer written questions sent on November 5, 2026.
  • Almerhij said the alleged assault has destroyed her life, that she stopped everything, and that she cannot talk with anybody.
  • Her husband, Sam Wise, said he is heartbroken and angry, carries guilt for not protecting her, but is proud of her courage and will never leave her.
  • Almerhij said she was too afraid of retaliation to give full details in writing while detained.

Timeline newest first

  1. The Department of Homeland Security rejected Rahaf Ali Almerhij's accusations, saying allegations of misconduct at the El Valle Detention Facility are false.
  2. ICE deportation officer Markell Wallace did not respond to written questions about the allegations emailed to him on November 5, 2026.
  3. In October 2026, Almerhij submitted a sworn declaration to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General alleging Wallace sexually assaulted her and harassed her on at least two other occasions.
  4. Almerhij alleges Wallace assaulted her in an isolated room at El Valle, offered her a green card, and threatened her husband, after her former attorney withdrew from her case in April 2026.
  5. Her husband, Sam Wise, said he first learned of the full allegation in late August 2026, months after she left ICE custody.
  6. In April 2026, Sam Wise escalated complaints over her deteriorating eyesight and alleged that male staff could see naked female detainees in bathroom and shower areas at El Valle.
  7. On February 26, 2026, Sam Wise emailed the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General about the facility's refusal to accept her specialized eye drops.
  8. The Department of Homeland Security said Border Patrol arrested Almerhij near the Rio Grande Valley on February 19, 2026, after she entered the United States illegally from Montreal in August 2024.

Sources newest first

  • ICE Agent Accused of Offering Woman Green Card for Sex Before Alleged Assaultnewsweek.com· 12h

    Rahaf Ali Almerhij, a 21-year-old Lebanese woman, accuses ICE deportation officer Markell Wallace of sexually assaulting her at the El Valle Detention Facility in Texas and offering a green card for sex, allegations the Department of Homeland Security rejects and Newsweek could not independently verify. The article also details her complaints about denied specialist eye care, a judge's dismissal of her habeas petition, and her October 2026 sworn declaration to federal oversight bodies.

Background newest first

  • Leaked roster of ICE hires reveals ‘bad list of conduct’ and criminal charges: reportrawstory.com· 4d

    A leaked Department of Homeland Security database published by activists in late October 2025 exposed roughly 1,500 ICE hires from Trump's second term, and The Washington Post vetted about 300 via public records, finding at least 19 with misconduct allegations, criminal charges, or use-of-force incidents — several already in trouble at the agency, including two involved in shootings. Former inspector general John Roth called the hires unfit for federal badges, and Peter Mina warned that rushed hiring puts the public and officers at risk, saying applicant lawsuits should at minimum be flagged to ICE and reviewed.

  • Disturbing Pictures of Neglect in ICE Mortality Reviews - The American Prospectprospect.org· 6w

    Whitney Curry Wimbish's article in The American Prospect examines 33 mortality reviews that Immigration and Customs Enforcement posted online on September 25, 2026, and removed by September 30, which The Prospect downloaded; nearly all found significant failures, documenting detained immigrants deteriorating and dying from treatable conditions amid withheld medications, improperly administered CPR, and ignored requests for care. Ismael Ayala-Uribe died five days after seeking care for an abscess at Adelanto, ICE said in a press release that detainees receive proper medical care, and advocates including Setareh Ghandehari say medical neglect is a feature of detention; ICE did not respond to requests for comment.