ERO Boston arrests Brazilian sex offender convicted of indecent assault and battery

BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested a Brazilian sex offender Jan. 25 who was recently convicted of assault and battery and indecent assault and battery. Deportation officers from ERO Boston made the arrest near the offender’s residence in Peabody, Massachusetts.

ERO Boston arrested him as part of a recent national immigration enforcement effort where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ERO officers apprehended 171 unlawfully present noncitizens with pending charges or convictions for murder, homicide or assault against children. The nationwide law enforcement effort ran from Jan.16 through Jan. 28.

“Smart and effective enforcement of the immigration laws of the United States requires ERO Boston to focus our resources on the apprehension and removal of public safety threats,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “A convicted, violent sex offender should not be able to enjoy the freedoms and other benefits our country — and our New England communities — are known for. I applaud the efforts of my officers, who worked tirelessly to ensure no one could be victimized by this individual again.”

The 52-year-old citizen of Brazil was admitted into the United States as a visitor in March 2015. He remained unlawfully present in the country for more than eight years beyond the time allowed under his visa’s terms.

In October 2021, the Brazilian national was arrested and arraigned at Suffolk Superior Court in Boston. He was charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 years of age and two other counts of assault and battery.

In August 2023, he was convicted of all charges and given a two year suspended sentence followed by three years of probation. He has been legally categorized as a registered Level 2 sex offender in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

After ERO Boston confirmed his presence in Massachusetts, deportation officers with ERO Boston arrested him near his residence in Peabody Jan. 25 without incident. He will remain in ERO Boston’s custody, and ERO Boston will seek his removal through reinstatement of a prior final order of removal issued by a federal immigration judge with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).

Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges with the EOIR. EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ICE officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.

In fiscal year 2023, ERO made 170,590 administrative arrests, a 19.5% increase over the previous year. ERO arrested 73,822 noncitizens with a criminal history; those arrested had an average of four charges and convictions per individual, including more than 33,209 charges or convictions for assault, 7,520 for weapons offenses, 1,713 for homicide-related offenses, and 1,615 for kidnapping. Removals also included 3,406 known or suspected gang members, 139 known or suspected terrorists, seven human rights violators, and 108 foreign fugitives wanted by their governments for crimes including homicide, rape, terrorism and kidnapping. Also in fiscal year 2023, ERO conducted 142,580 removals to more than 170 countries worldwide.

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 the 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 or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROBoston.

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