ERO Boston apprehends Jamaican national convicted of sexual assault and battery of Massachusetts resident

BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested an unlawfully present, 30-year-old convicted sex offender Feb. 12 in Barnstable. Deportation officers apprehended the Jamaican noncitizen, who was convicted of two counts of indecent assault and battery of a person over the age of 14 in November 2023, during a nationwide law enforcement effort that netted 275 noncitizen sex offenders. The nationwide operation ran from Feb. 5 to Feb. 16.

“This unlawfully present Jamaican national posed a significant threat to the residents of Massachusetts,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “We simply cannot allow noncitizen sex offenders to roam the streets of New England victimizing the law-abiding people of our communities. ERO Boston stands committed to prioritizing the safety of our public by apprehending and removing such predators.”

The Jamaican national entered the United States in May 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina, on a nonimmigrant visa that permitted him to remain in the United States until April 11, 2018. He failed to leave by that date.

In August 2022, police in Barnstable arrested and charged him with two counts of obscene material to a minor, two counts of indecent assault and battery on person over 14 years of age, and assault to rape a child.

The noncitizen pleaded guilty to the two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 years of age in the Barnstable District Court in November 2023. The court sentenced him to three years of supervised probation and dismissed the remaining charges.

Deportation officers from ERO Boston apprehended him noncitizen Feb. 12 in Wellfleet and took him into custody. He will remain in ERO custody pending removal proceedings.

This apprehension was part of a nationwide enforcement effort targeting noncitizens with sexual offenses. Deportation officers from ERO field offices arrested 275 individuals presenting significant threats to public safety. By using an intelligence-driven enforcement model, ERO Boston makes efficient use of limited resources to promote public safety in communities throughout New England.

ERO officers evaluate individuals on a case-by-case basis, assessing the totality of the facts and circumstances to make informed arrest determinations. Those cases amenable to federal criminal prosecution can be presented to the U.S. attorney's office. ERO also coordinates with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to evaluate the completion of relevant noncitizen applications.

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is a separate entity from DHS 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 arrested 73,822 noncitizens with criminal histories; this group had 290,178 associated charges and convictions with an average of four per individual. These included 33,209 assaults; 4,390 sex and sexual assaults; 7,520 weapons offenses; 1,713 charges or convictions for homicide; and 1,655 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 crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ERO Boston’s mission to increase public safety in our New England communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at >@EROBoston.