U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) out of Boston announced that they took into custody an unlawfully present citizen from Guatemala in Rhode Island on February 6, 2024.
ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons said, “This Guatemalan national has disregarded U.S. immigration laws and has been charged with horrific crimes against a Rhode Island child. 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.”
ERO says that 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.
Providence, Rhode Island, arrested the man 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.