ERO Boston arrests fugitive wanted for child rape in Brazil

BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested a convicted fugitive wanted for rape of a child in Brazil in Tewksbury Nov. 28. Deportation officers from ERO Boston’s Foreign Fugitive Apprehension Unit apprehended the 62-year-old citizen of Brazil who has been sought by Brazilian law enforcement authorities since his conviction for rape of a vulnerable child earlier this year.

“There is no more repulsive and disturbing crime than the sexual assault of a child. We are proud to have apprehended this convicted rapist and will seek to remove him from the United States so that he cannot prey on the members of our community,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons. “Convicted foreign fugitives are not welcome here. ERO Boston will not relent in our efforts to locate, apprehend and remove them from our country.”

Following his conviction of rape by a criminal court in the city of Florianopolis, in Santa Catarina, Brazil, but before his sentencing, the Brazilian national fled Brazil, entering the United States in New York under a tourist immigration visa in April 2023. In May 2023, Brazilian authorities issued a warrant for his arrest when he failed to appear to serve a 12-year sentence for his child rape conviction.

After discovering the Brazilian national’s presence in the ERO Boston area of responsibility, officers with the Foreign Fugitive Apprehension Unit apprehended and served him with a notice to appear before a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration judge. The Brazilian national will remain in ERO custody pending his removal proceedings.

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the DOJ’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal.

In fiscal year 2022, ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories. This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 kidnapping offenses.

As one of ICE’s three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.

Members of the public can report crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 (866-DHS-2ICE) or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ERO Boston’s mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROBoston.

Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.gov)