A convicted sex offender charged last week with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Santa Clarita is in the country illegally and had recently been released on bail from immigration custody, according to federal authorities.

Keane Dean, 26, a citizen of the Philippines, was released in April on $10,000 bond so he could be free while he contested his immigration case. He had been targeted for deportation because of his criminal record.

The 14-year-old girl, who was found in Dean's garage, told investigators that Dean befriended her at a grocery store the previous day, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Dean has been charged with two counts of child sexual abuse and is being held in lieu of $110,000 bail. ...

Dean was released through a different mechanism: a bond hearing required for most Southern California immigration detainees after six months.

"Detaining deportable immigrants is imperative because they're flight risks, and in the case of criminals because they're likely to reoffend," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies.

Sex offender accused of assaulting teen was in U.S. illegally, officials say

Deputies Find Missing Girl Locked in Sex Offender's Garage in Santa Clarita

A girl reported missing by her parents in Santa Clarita was found locked in the garage of a home where a convicted sex offender lived with his parents, authorities say.

By Cindy Chang, July 21, 2015