U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Tuesday announced the arrest of a Guatemalan illegal alien recently convicted of sexually assaulting a child after he was released by a Massachusetts court.
ICE said the Guatemalan national illegally entered the U.S. April 2011 at an unknown location, without be inspected or admitted by immigration officials.
The 34-year-old Guatemalan was convicted in January of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14, and a separate offense of assault in battery, in Gloucester District Court, ICE said.
The unlawfully present Guatemalan was ordered by the court to register as a sex offender with the Massachusetts sex offender registry, and was released back into the community — despite ICE lodging an immigration detainer against him.
Immigration detainers are lodged by ICE against individuals who have been arrested on criminal charges in the U.S., and who ICE has probable cause to believe are removable non-citizens.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested the 34-year-old Guatemalan sex offender without incident on Feb. 21 in Gloucester.
“This individual represented a dire threat to the residents of Massachusetts,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons.
“Unlawfully present, convicted sex offenders should not be given the opportunity to reoffend,” Lyons said. “The victim of his crimes deserves better from our justice system. The men and women of ERO Boston will continue to protect our communities from such threats.”
He will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings before a federal immigration judge.
The arrest comes as part of a recent nationwide enforcement effort by ICE against unlawfully present non-citizen sex offenders.
As part of the initiative, from Feb. 5 to Feb. 16 ERO officers across the U.S. apprehended a total of 275 illegal alien sex offenders.
In fiscal year 2023, ICE arrested a total of 73,822 non-citizens with criminal histories, including 4,390 who had charges or convictions related to sexual assault.
