ERO Boston arrests Guatemalan national convicted locally of child rape and indecent assault

BOSTON - Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested an unlawfully present 25-year-old Guatemalan citizen April 19 in Billerica who was convicted locally of two counts of rape of a child and four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child.

"There is no more disturbing crime than sexual assault of a child," said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. "Those who are not lawfully present in this country and who are convicted of such disturbing crimes will be arrested and removed from our neighborhoods. ERO Boston is strongly committed to protecting our communities from those who would pose a threat to our children and families in this region. We will not stop fighting to protect our New England communities."

On Oct. 28, 2010, the Guatemalan national was admitted into the United States by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Atlanta, Georgia, as a visitor. He remained in the United States beyond the time allowed under the terms of his visa.

On July 28, 2021, the Guatemalan citizen was arrested and arraigned in Woburn on two counts of rape of a child and four counts of indecent assault and battery on child under 14 years of age.

On Nov. 10, 2022, the Middlesex County Superior Court convicted him and sentenced him to two years of state incarceration and two years' probation.

On April 19, 2024, ERO Boston arrested him following his release from state custody following the completion of his sentence at Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn. 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.