By Sara Higdon – The Post Millennial
On Friday, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston division revealed that it re-arrested a 23-year-old illegal immigrant from Honduras who was released from custody despite being found guilty of felony assault with a weapon and domestic violence.
According to a statement from ICE, he was arrested on Feb. 7 and will remain in the agency’s custody until he has a hearing before a federal immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).
ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons said, “This unlawfully present Honduran fugitive is wanted for homicide in his home country and has now been found guilty of violent criminal behavior here.”
He added, “It is very disturbing that, despite the serious charges this fugitive faces and the existence of an active immigration detainer filed for his custody, he was released by the court back into the community. This case only highlights the importance of why ERO Boston seeks to cooperate with local communities to protect public safety in our region.”
The agency revealed that the man first came into the US illegally in January 2021, but was later deported under the Title 42 emergency health order. It is unknown when he re-entered the country illegally again.
The man has a history of violent behavior and is wanted for homicide in the city of El Progreso in the province of Yoro, Honduras, according to the agency. He was first arrested in the US and charged with assault with a weapon in Jun 2023, but the case is still pending.
The Honduran man pleaded guilty to in Providence, Rhode Island, for domestic violence on Feb. 4, but despite the ERO Boston filing an immigration detainer to keep him in a Correctional Institute, the court allowed him to be released back into the public on Feb. 7.
Last year, a Guatemalan man who was charged with “horrific crimes against a Rhode Island child” was released into society, despite ERO Boston requiring his detention at the Adult Correctional Institute of Cranston, RI. He was free for almost a year before he was captured by ERO agents.
The ERO arrested 73,822 illegal immigrants with criminal histories in fiscal year 2023. Of those arrested, each had an average of four charges and convictions per person.