Federal authorities are warning Missouri officials not to release an illegal immigrant accused of raping and kidnapping a woman in a quiet college town on Easter Sunday — the second violent crime in the state in just weeks involving a suspect in the country unlawfully.

The Department of Homeland Security announced Monday that Cristian Lopez-Gomez, a Honduran national who entered the U.S. illegally in April 2024 and was released into the country under the Biden administration, is now charged in the attack in Kirksville, home to Truman State University.

Authorities say Lopez-Gomez raped the woman and held her against her will during the holiday weekend. He remains behind bars in the Adair County jail, where ICE has lodged a detainer to keep him from being released.

DHS reinforced that message in a social media post, urging Missouri officials not to release Lopez-Gomez and stressing that cooperation with ICE is key to ensuring suspects like him are not “released back into our communities.”

DHS reinforced that message in a statement on Monday, urging Missouri officials not to release Lopez-Gomez, whom it called an “animal” and a “monster.” The agency stressed that cooperation with ICE is key to ensuring suspects like him are not “released back into our communities.”

“Thankfully, Missouri cooperates with ICE law enforcement,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. “When state and local law enforcement work with ICE, we can safely remove criminal illegal aliens from our country and put the safety of American citizens first.”

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The disturbing case is rattling the college town and fueling broader outrage, coming just weeks after another high-profile attack in Missouri involving an illegal immigrant suspect.

In that March case, 18-year-old Honduran national Yefry Archaga-Elvir is accused of luring 15-year-old Miles Young into a deadly ambush before chasing him down and shooting him as the teen reportedly begged for his life.

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The killing sparked fierce backlash from Republican leaders, who pointed to the suspect’s immigration status as a broader public safety failure.

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“Unfortunately, this is just the latest example of a Missourian killed by an illegal alien,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said, calling for sweeping deportation efforts.

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Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., warned that “dangerous individuals who should not be here remain in our communities,” while Rep. Mark Alford added, “Our children should NEVER fear murder on our streets.”

Missouri State Treasurer Vivek Malek also weighed in, calling the teen’s death “another Missouri family destroyed” and arguing the crime “never would’ve happened” if the suspect had not been in the country.

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Schmitt went further in a separate statement, blasting what he described as an “invasion” and asking, “Where is the outrage when American sons and daughters are murdered by illegal aliens who have no business in our country?”

The back-to-back cases have intensified concerns among GOP leaders, who say the attacks underscore growing risks tied to illegal immigration and the need for stronger enforcement.

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DHS officials echoed that message, emphasizing that when local law enforcement works with ICE, authorities can remove dangerous individuals and “put the safety of American citizens first.”

It was not immediately clear whether the victim in the Easter Sunday attack was a Truman State student. Requests for comment were sent to the university, local police and ICE Midwest.

Lopez-Gomez is not believed to have a prior criminal history in the U.S., but officials say he entered the country illegally in April 2024 and was released.

Both cases remain under investigation.

“The View” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said on Monday that Rep. Eric Swalwell’s reputation with women was an “open secret” that made him exploitable by America’s enemies.

Swalwell, D-Calif., has suspended his campaign for California governor after he was accused of sexual assault, as well as multiple reports alleging other misconduct with women. Swalwell has acknowledged “mistakes in judgment” but claimed the assault allegations against him are false.

Griffin, returning to “The View” after a stint on maternity leave, noted reports that Swalwell’s alleged misconduct was not a surprise to many observers.

“Swalwell sat on the intel committee, and there were allegations he had a suspected Chinese spy, Fang Fang, who was associated with him in his office,” she said. “Now, he was not found to have engaged in wrongdoing, but to me, my spidey senses from having worked at the Pentagon go off, which is it was an open secret that he had issues with women, that he was somebody who was susceptible, potentially to heavy drinking, to impropriety with women.”

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Griffin added that allegations like those made against Swalwell were “disqualifying.”

“I think we need to remember that winning isn’t everything, and you lose the plot when you think that,” Griffin said. “When somebody does something that’s beyond the pale, that should be it, and we should move on and get back to that kind of society.”

“I think of the victims. These allegations are horrible. They’re well-documented. This is, I mean, deeply reported,” she added.

The other victim of the situation, she argued, is “the American public,” arguing that even the reputation of habitual sexual scandal makes one look vulnerable to bad actors from America’s rival powers.

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“America’s adversaries look for how to exploit that,” she continued. “So that, to me, pinpoints it was openly known. Nobody did anything about it. But thank God that now Democrats, Adam Schiff and others and others have called for him to step aside, and he did the right thing by doing it.”

Swalwell has also been urged by some Democrats to resign from Congress.

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“The accusations were 2019,” co-host Sara Haines added. “This is post-MeToo, which was not just a ‘let’s dig out the ones that have done wrong things.’ It was a loud warning that people will not be silenced anymore, and he arrogantly did that again in 2019.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Swalwell’s campaign and did not receive immediate reply.

GREAT ABACO ISLAND, Bahamas – Bahamian authorities face a Monday evening deadline to either charge or release Brian Hooker, the husband of missing Michigan boater Lynette Hooker, as the investigation into her disappearance near Elbow Cay is up against the clock.

Hooker has been in custody since last week after authorities detained him in connection with his wife’s disappearance. His attorney said officials have until about 7:20 p.m. ET Monday to decide whether to file charges or let him go.

Police continue searching for Lynette by air, land and sea, though the effort has shifted from a rescue mission to a recovery operation.

Lynette Hooker was last seen the night of April 4 after the couple left the Abaco Inn on a dinghy headed back to their anchored yacht.

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Fox News Digital previously retraced the route — a short trip through waters local experts say are typically shallow, clear and heavily trafficked.

According to Brian Hooker’s account, Lynette fell overboard in worsening weather and strong winds. He has said the couple was not wearing life jackets and that the dinghy lost power after the ignition key went into the water.

In a recorded phone call obtained by CBS, Hooker described the incident as a series of mistakes, saying Lynette “basically just bounced off the dinghy” before he lost sight of her in the dark.

He has said he later paddled for help after searching for her.

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In an interview on Ashleigh Banfield’s “Drop Dead Serious” podcast, Lynette’s mother described a volatile relationship and said her daughter had left her husband multiple times in the past.

“They had a lot of highs and a lot of lows,” she said. “When there were bad times, they were bad times.”

She alleged Brian Hooker could become “mean” and “hateful” when drinking and said there had been instances where he became physical, adding she had long feared for her daughter’s safety.

Lynette had been planning to leave the marriage, her mother said in the interview.

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Separately, Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, has questioned Brian Hooker’s version of events, saying the circumstances surrounding her mother’s disappearance “don’t add up.” 

In a previous appearance on “Fox & Friends,” she also alleged he had been physically violent in the past.

“I’ve seen him choke out one of his daughters before. And we had to go to court for that,” Aylesworth said. “So he’s just repeating patterns.”

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Brian Hooker has denied wrongdoing and has spoken publicly about the incident, saying in a Facebook post that he is “heartbroken.”

“I am heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas,” he wrote. “Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart. We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus.”

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Hooker’s attorney said his client wants “closure” to find out what happened to his wife.

“He denied the allegations and he maintained his innocence,” Terrel Butler said, adding that a decision on whether to charge him would likely come before the deadline.

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The attorney also said the case would ultimately be handled by prosecutors, not just investigating officers, and that Hooker is “drained and tired” as he awaits a decision.

If he is not charged by the deadline, authorities would be required to release him, though re-arrest remains a possibility under Bahamian law.

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A flotation device believed to have been thrown to Lynette was recovered, according to multiple reports, but authorities have not announced that they have found her body.

Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commander Origin Deleveaux told NBC News that authorities were continuing to search for Lynette, and that early efforts were complicated by severe weather.

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Fox News Digital has also reported that local boaters say it would be unusual for someone to disappear without a trace in the area due to the water clarity and proximity to land.

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The Hookers had documented their boating lifestyle online after buying and restoring a sailboat in Texas, eventually making their way to the Bahamas.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Royal Bahamas Police Force and Hooker’s attorney for additional comment.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes contributed to this report.