ICE Takes Action Against Egyptian Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Raping Nashville Girl

NASHVILLE—A man accused of raping a teen girl in Nashville on New Year’s Eve is an illegal alien from Egypt who entered the country through a diversity lottery program now paused by the Trump administration, The Daily Wire has learned. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed an immigration detainer on 31-year-old Mena Mohsen Farez Nmn Awad after he was arrested by law enforcement in Louisville, Kentucky, for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl in Nashville. The girl said that she awoke in the early hours of December 31 to find Awad raping her. 

Awad, who has a lengthy criminal history, entered the country in 2017 through the Diversity Lottery program. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem paused the program in December and called on Congress to pass legislation to permanently shut it down. 

“Horrendous immigration policies allowed this monster into our country and made victims of children and families,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire. “This child rapist was allowed into our country by the Diversity Lottery program. Secretary Noem paused the diversity lottery to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program. ICE lodged an arrest detainer to ensure he is not released onto our streets to victimize more children.” 

The “diversity visa” program allowed up to 55,000 immigrants from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States into the country every year, according to the State Department. Awad lost his legal status after a previous criminal conviction. 

Awad is currently behind bars in the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office in Nashville. He is charged with aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated burglary, and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. 

According to the girl, she was sleeping in bed with her nephew when she woke up around 6:00 a.m. on December 31 to find Awad raping her. She repeatedly asked him to stop and was afraid because he had a handgun in his waistband, the police report obtained by WSMV 4 showed.

Awad left the apartment, and police identified him as a homeless man who lived behind a market in southeast Nashville, the report said. Police in Louisville arrested him at a hotel on January 16 before he was extradited to Nashville. 

Court records show that Awad has a lengthy criminal background, including assault with a deadly weapon in 2018, convictions for domestic assault in 2020, driving without a license, and other driving violations in 2023. Awad had another domestic assault charge dismissed in 2023.