ICE arrests 58 in New England enforcement action

BOSTON – Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested 58 people in enforcement activities during a 5-day period, ending Dec. 4, in the New England region.

During the enforcement action, of the 58 individuals arrested by ICE’s ERO for violating U.S. immigration laws:

• 30 had prior felony convictions for serious or violent offenses;
• 33 have criminal charges pending;
• 15 individuals were previously released from local law enforcement custody, correctional facilities and/or court custody with an active detainer;
• 9 were referred for criminal prosecution to the appropriate U.S. Attorney’s Office in the jurisdiction; one is being referred to the U.S. Marshals for failure to register as a sex offender as required by federal law;
• 9 of those arrested had been previously removed from the United States and returned illegally; and,
• 4 had active Interpol Red Notices.

Arrests include:

• In Lynn, Massachusetts, a 67 year-old national of Brazil who is wanted in Brazil for aggravated murder was arrested.
• In Putnam, Connecticut, a 59-year old national of Brazil who is wanted for murder in Brazil, a crime alleged to have been committed by casting a net over the victim and stabbing the victim 20 times, was arrested.
• In Methuen, Massachusetts, a 23- year old national of the Dominican Republic who had assumed the identity of a U.S. citizen with prior convictions for drug trafficking, identity theft, and resisting arrest, who is facing current pending drug trafficking charges.
• In Brockton, Massachusetts, a 41-year old national of France with previous convictions for cocaine possession and multiple instances of assault and battery whose history also includes 30 adult arrangements with arrests for kidnapping, assault and battery with a deadly weapon, domestic violence and other felony charges.
• In Windham, New Hampshire, a 44 year old national of Brazil wanted in Brazil for smuggling/embezzlement of firearms who had assumed the identity of a U.S. citizen, was arrested.
• In Hyannis, Massachusetts, a 41-year old Jamaican national convicted of possession of 28-100 grams of cocaine was arrested.
• In Dorchester, Massachusetts, a 40 year old national of the Dominican Republic with convictions for cocaine trafficking and money laundering was arrested.

Criminal histories of those arrested during the operation included charges and convictions for: Murder, Aggravated Identity Theft, Assault, Attempted Assault, Cocaine Possession, Cocaine Trafficking, Criminal, DUI and multiple other categories of crimes.

The arrestees include nationals from Dominican Republic, Brazil, France , Jamaica, Haiti and Antigua among other nations.

ICE focuses its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security. However, ICE no longer exempts classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All of those in violation of immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States.

Some of the individuals arrested during this operation will face federal criminal prosecutions for illegal entry and illegal re-entry after deportation. The arrestees who are not being federally prosecuted, are detained in ICE custody, and will be processed administratively for removal from the United States. Any individual that returns to the United States illegally after being deported, is subject to immediate removal from the United States.

ICE places detainers on individuals who have been arrested on local criminal charges and who are suspected of being deportable, so that ICE can take custody of that person when he or she is released from local custody. When law enforcement agencies fail to honor immigration detainers and release serious criminal offenders onto the streets, it undermines ICE’s ability to protect public safety and carry out its mission.

In years past, most of these individuals would have been turned over to ICE by local authorities upon their release from jail based on ICE detainers. Since some “ sanctuary jurisdictions” including Boston, do not honor ICE detainers, these individuals, who often have significant criminal histories, are released onto the street, presenting a potential public safety threat. ICE thus has no alternative but to periodically conduct at-large arrests in local communities instead of focusing on arrests at jails and prisons where transfers are safer for ICE officers and the community.

Ultimately, efforts by local politicians have shielded removable criminal aliens from immigration enforcement and created another magnet for more illegal immigration, all at the expense of the safety and security of the very people it purports to protect. Despite the severe challenges that local policies have created for ICE, we remain committed to our public safety mission and we will continue to do our sworn duty to seek out dangerous criminal aliens and other immigration violators. ICE seeks straightforward cooperation with all local law enforcement and elected officials.

ICE deportation officers carry out targeted enforcement operations every day in locations around the country as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to protect the nation, uphold public safety, and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls. These operations involve existing, established fugitive operations teams.