ERO Boston arrests unlawfully present Haitian citizen convicted of 2017 church arson
BOSTON — On Sept. 26, officers with Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested an unlawfully present Haitian national on violation of immigration charges. The noncitizen was convicted of breaking into and setting fire to a church in 2017 and will now remain in U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody pending removal proceedings.
The Haitian national entered the United States in August 2015 as a nonimmigrant and violated the terms of his admission. In 2017, he was convicted of illegally entering and setting fire to a church building in Methuen.
“Immigration law violators convicted of dangerous criminal behavior have no place in our neighborhoods,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons. “ERO Boston officers continue to protect the security of our residents from such violent criminals who pose a real threat to the public safety of our communities.”
Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ICE officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.
In fiscal year 2022, ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories. This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 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 crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.
Learn more about ERO Boston’s mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROBoston.
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