Donald Trump is to some a savior, to others a dangerous divider of humanity. In today's America, immigration is the hot button issue and the word illegal strikes fear in the hearts of both innocent immigrants and suspicious residents. Now an incident involving an allegation of rape is rocking an American High School to its roots and may become the basis for a debate that resonates around the world.

In Maryland last Friday

The event, because it involves an illegal immigrant, has become a flashpoint, with attention from President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Last Friday, two Montgomery County boys, Henry Sanchez, 18, and Jose Montano, 17, received first-degree rape charges.They were accused of asking a 14-year-old girl to have sex with them.

She told police Montano forced her into a bathroom stall where both boys raped her.

Sanchez is said to have come to the US illegally in August. He is from Guatemala. He was detained in Texas by the US Border Patrol, according to an AP report in the New York Times. He was then released to go live with his father.

Twists and turns

Montano is being charged as an adult although he is a minor. According to federal law, illegal immigrants must be accepted by public schools. The incident has set off a political spat at the state level. Some have tried to promote an act encouraging better relationships between immigrants and police. But Maryland's Republican Governor Larry Hogan called this effort outrageous and a danger to the citizens of his state.

The depth of feeling was reflected in demonstrations near the school today.

A binary divide

There have been voices on both sides of the issue of Illegal Immigration, some expressing fears that the actions of Donald Trump are creating a changed environment in which there is much more vitriol than in the past.

Derek Turner, a spokesman for the school, told AP that threatening phone calls have come from persons saying they will "shoot up the illegals in our school". America, and possibly the world, is at a crossroads. Illegal immigration is the flash point.
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