ERO Boston arrests Guatemalan national convicted of reckless endangerment of a child, drug crimes and numerous DWIs

BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations apprehended a 35-year-old Guatemalan national charged locally with operating under the influence of liquor (fourth offense), possession of a Class B controlled substance, giving a false address with intent to hinder police, and operating motor revoked after operating under the influence. Deportation officers with ERO Boston arrested Edilzar Morales-Barillas July 8 near his residence in Chelsea. Morales, who was previously removed from the United States, has been convicted locally of reckless endangerment of a child and drug distribution, and he has three convictions for operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor.

“Edilzar Morales-Barillas has repeatedly broken our laws and habitually placed our New England residents in danger,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “We cannot allow egregious noncitizen offenders continue to reoffend and threaten the security of our communities. ERO Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing egregious noncitizen offenders.”

Morales unlawfully entered the United States on an unknown date, at an unknown location, and without being inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration official.

Between July 2014 and August 2018, Morales was arrested and convicted of two counts of distribute/dispense Class B controlled substance and one count of possession to distribute Class B controlled substance; three counts of operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor; one count of operating under the influence of liquor; child endangerment; and reckless endangerment of child.

ERO Boston encountered Morales Jan. 25, 2018, following his third conviction for operating a vehicle under the influence.

On Sept. 3, 2019, ERO Boston issued Morales a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge.

Deportation officers from ERO Boston arrested him May 6, 2020, at the Essex County House of Correction.

On April 21, 2021, a Department of Justice immigration judge ordered Morales removed from the United States to Guatemala.

ERO Boston removed him from the United States to Guatemala May 14, 2021.

He unlawfully reentered the United States on an unknown date, at an unknown location, and without being inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration official.

The Chelsea Police Department arrested Morales May 26, 2023, and charged him with operating a vehicle under the influence of liquor (fourth offense), possession of Class B controlled substance, giving false address with intent to hinder police, and operating a motor vehicle without a license.

ERO lodged an immigration detainer against Morales May 27, 2023, with the Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department’s Nashua Street Jail.

ERO’s Pacific Enforcement Response Center lodged an additional immigration detainer against Morales May 30, 2023.

The Suffolk County Sherriff’s Department’s Nashua Street Jail ignored both immigration detainers and released Morales from custody on an unknown date.

Deportation officers from ERO Boston arrested Morales July 8 near his residence in Chelsea and served him with a notice to reinstate final order of removal. He remains in ERO custody.

As part of its mission to identify and arrest removable noncitizens, ERO lodges immigration detainers against noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity and taken into custody by state or local law enforcement. An immigration detainer is a request from ICE to state or local law enforcement agencies to notify ICE as early as possible before a removable noncitizen is released from their custody. Detainers request that state or local law enforcement agencies maintain custody of the noncitizen for a period not to exceed 48 hours beyond the time the individual would otherwise be released, allowing ERO to assume custody for removal purposes in accordance with federal law.

Detainers are critical public safety tools because they focus enforcement resources on removable noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity. Detainers increase the safety of all parties involved — ERO personnel, law enforcement officials, removable noncitizens and the public — by allowing an arrest to be made in a secure and controlled custodial setting as opposed to at-large within the community. Because detainers result in the direct transfer of a noncitizen from state or local custody to ERO custody, they also minimize the potential that an individual will reoffend. Additionally, detainers conserve scarce government resources by allowing ERO to take criminal noncitizens into custody directly rather than expending resources locating these individuals at-large.

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. The Executive Office for Immigration Review is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 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.

Members of the public with information regarding noncitizen 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.

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.

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