ERO Boston removes Brazilian fugitive wanted for child rape

BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston removed a Brazilian national convicted of raping a child in his home country. Deportation officers from ERO Boston removed Edimir Gustavo Eckelberg, 62, from the United States to Brazil Jan. 26. Eckelberg had been sought by Brazilian law enforcement authorities since his conviction for rape of a vulnerable child in May 2023. ERO Boston apprehended him Nov. 28, 2023, in Tewksbury.

“There is no more repulsive and disturbing crime than the sexual assault of a child,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons. “Our New England communities are safer without the presence of Edimir Gustavo Eckelberg, who is now in the hands of Brazilian authorities. ERO Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by apprehending and removing such violent threats from our New England communities.”

Following his conviction of rape by a criminal court in the city of Florianopolis, in Santa Catarina, Brazil, but before his sentencing, Eckelberg fled Brazil, entering the United States in New York under a tourist immigration visa in April 2023. In May 2023, Brazilian authorities issued a warrant for his arrest when he failed to appear to serve a 12-year sentence for his child rape conviction.

After discovering Eckelberg’s presence in the ERO Boston area of responsibility, officers apprehended and served him with a notice to appear before a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration judge. He was held in ERO Boston custody until his removal by air to Brazil Jan. 26.

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 Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR 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.

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 four 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.

Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROBoston.