ERO Boston arrests Guatemalan national convicted locally of first-degree child sexual assault

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested an unlawfully present 55-year-old Guatemalan citizen who was convicted locally of first-degree child sexual molestation/sexual assault. Deportation officers from ERO Boston’s Providence office apprehended him in Providence April 17.

“This unlawfully present Guatemalan national has been convicted of sex crimes against a minor,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “He has already violated U.S. immigration laws, and we will not allow him back out into our Rhode Island neighborhoods to re-offend. When local jurisdictions cooperate with immigration enforcement as happened in this case, the community is stronger and safer. ERO Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by apprehending and removing the most egregious offenders in order to make our New England communities safer.”

The Guatemalan citizen unlawfully entered the United States without inspection sometime in 2008 and remained present in the country without authorization.

He came to ERO Boston officers’ attention following his arrest by Providence police for first-degree child molestation/sexual assault on Aug. 6, 2018. ERO Boston lodged an immigration detainer seeking his custody with the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institute at that time.

On Dec. 12, 2022, the Guatemalan native was convicted of first-degree child molestation/sexual assault in Providence Superior Court. He was sentenced to 25 years of incarceration, which was reduced to six years with 19 years suspended.

On April 17, 2024, after completion of his six-year sentence, he was released from at the Adult Correctional Institution in Cranston.

The Rhode Island Department of Corrections contacted ERO Boston’s Providence office to alert officials of the Guatemalan national’s impending release. Deportation arrested him upon his release, and he will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with DOJ’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security 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.

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 with information regarding child sex offenders can report crimes or suspicious activity by dialing the ICE Tip Line at 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.