Hollister, California police detectives believe a couple running an in-home daycare intentionally targeted children of illegal aliens because of their reluctance to report the abuse.

Cops say Alberto Ramirez targeted children at his wife’s daycare. Police visited the establishment during an investigation into allegations the man was inappropriately touching kids there.

Upon discovering there were more alleged victims, they arrested Ramirez and booked him into San Benito County Jail on “multiple counts of lewd acts upon a child, attempted lewd acts, and continual sexual abuse of a child,” Fox 35 reports.

His bail was set at $600,000.

Josefina Ramirez, who has run the daycare since 1995, was arrested as an accessory.

Police allege many of the children at the facility were undocumented and that targeting them for molestation “may be a tactic used to avoid detection because people who are undocumented may be less likely to seek assistance from police.”

“Regardless of your status being documented or undocumented, we want to talk to you, we want to hear from you, we want to get you the help that you need. We want to make sure that justice is served,” Police Chief David Westrick tells KOIN.

After the arrests, the daycare closed.

The State Department of Social Services, Community Care licensing board claims Ramirez had been cited multiple times for health and safety violations and had not complied with child care regulations.

“It’s shocking. It is, because they are such a nice couple they’ve been married for so long. It’s hard to hear that,” a neighbor says.  “I never would have imagined that they would do that because she had the day care for, like many, many, many years.”