ERO Boston arrests Haitian citizen charged with rape, indecent assault

BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston apprehended an unlawfully present Haitian national Jan. 9 who was recently arrested by local police on charges of rape and indecent assault and battery on a developmentally disabled person in Dorchester. ERO Boston lodged an immigration detainer against the Haitian citizen, but the Dorchester District Court chose not to honor it and released him from jail after his arrest on the sexual assault-related charges.

In December 2022, the 31-year-old Haitian national arrived at the port of entry in Brownsville, Texas, where he was deemed inadmissible and issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge with the Department of Justice (DOJ) Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) in Boston.

In September 2023, Boston police arrested him for rape and indecent assault and battery on a developmentally disabled person. Following his arrest, ERO Boston lodged an immigration detainer with the Dorchester District Court seeking his custody. The court did not honor the immigration detainer, and the noncitizen was ultimately released from the jail in Boston, where he had been held since his arrest, with an electronic monitoring device Nov. 8, 2023, pending the resolution of his criminal charges in a local criminal court.

After becoming aware of his recent arrest and unlawful immigration status, ERO Boston began an investigation to confirm the Haitian citizen’s presence its area of responsibility. Following confirmation of his presence, officers with ERO Boston arrested him without incident in Dorchester Jan. 9.

His charges remain pending with the local criminal court. He will remain in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody pending an upcoming hearing before a DOJ immigration judge. Following adjudication of his local criminal charges, ERO Boston will seek his removal from the United States

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the DOJ’s EOIR. EOIR is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.

In fiscal year 2023, ERO made 170,590 administrative arrests, a 19.5% increase over the previous year. ERO arrested 73,822 noncitizens with a criminal history; those arrested had an average of 4 charges and convictions per individual, including more than 33,209 charges or convictions for assault, 7,520 for weapons offenses, 1,713 for homicide-related offenses, and 1,615 for kidnapping. Removals also included 3,406 known or suspected gang members, 139 known or suspected terrorists, seven human rights violators, and 108 foreign fugitives wanted by their governments for crimes including homicide, rape, terrorism and kidnapping. Also in fiscal year 2023, ERO conducted 142,580 removals to more than 170 countries worldwide.

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 the 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 crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.