ERO Boston arrests Guatemalan national charged with child sexual assault in Rhode Island

BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston apprehended an unlawfully present citizen of Guatemala Feb. 6 who is facing child molestation charges in Providence, Rhode Island.

“This Guatemalan national has disregarded U.S. immigration laws and has been charged with horrific crimes against a Rhode Island child,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “We will continue to apprehend and remove egregious offenders who prey on the most vulnerable in our society. The men and women of ERO Boston remain dedicated to the safety of the residents of our New England communities.”

The Guatemalan national unlawfully entered the United States on an unknown date at an unknown location without being inspected, admitted or paroled by an immigration official.

Police in Providence, Rhode Island, arrested the Guatemalan national in March 2023 and charged him with felony child molestation.

Shortly after his arrest, ERO Boston lodged an immigration detainer against the Guatemalan citizen with the Adult Correctional Institute in Cranston, Rhode Island, where he was being detained. The facility ignored the ICE detainer and released him in April 2023 by order of the Sixth District Court of Providence. His case remains pending.

The Guatemalan national will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings before a federal immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. 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 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, at @EROBoston.

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