ERO Boston arrests Guatemalan national charged with multiple rape, assault felonies
BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested an unlawfully present Guatemalan citizen Oct. 11 in Lynn. The 30-year-old Guatemalan national was recently arrested by local authorities on felony charges including two counts of rape, three counts of assault to rape, and one count of assault and battery on a pregnant victim.
“These crimes, which include multiple charges of rape and assault and battery on a pregnant victim, are deeply disturbing,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons. “ERO Boston is committed to apprehending and removing immigration violators who present a threat to public safety. No victim, especially the alleged victim of these heinous crimes, should have to live in fear while their alleged abuser walks free. The safety of our communities will continue to be the primary mission of our dedicated team of ERO Boston officers.”
The Guatemalan citizen unlawfully entered the United States on an unknown date and at an unknown location without authorization from an immigration official. In August 2023, the Guatemalan national was arrested by local police and subsequently arraigned at the Lynn District Court on felony charges including two counts of rape, three counts of assault to rape, one count of assault and battery on a pregnant victim, and two misdemeanor charges of domestic assault and battery.
Following discovery of his unlawful status through immigration enforcement notifications, ERO Boston attempted to interview the Guatemalan citizen but was denied the opportunity to do so before he was released on supervised probation for his pending criminal charges from the Lynn District Court. Deportation officers from ERO Boston arrested him without incident near his residence in Lynn on Oct. 11. He will remain in ERO Boston custody pending removal proceedings.
Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (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 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 or completing the online tip form.
Learn more about ERO Boston’s mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROBoston.
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