In the latest disturbing incident from the state of Massachusetts, the dangerous convergence of the Biden administration’s lax border policies and local sanctuary laws has once again endangered the safety of the American public. This alarming case involves a Haitian national who entered the United States illegally in late 2022 through the Brownsville, Texas, port of entry. Rather than facing deportation, this migrant received a mere notice to appear (NTA) before an immigration judge – a scenario that has become all too familiar in recent years.
Several months later, the 31-year-old individual was arrested by Boston Police on charges of rape and indecent assault and battery against a developmentally disabled person. Boston, proudly labeled a sanctuary city, shields illegal immigrants from deportation by prohibiting cooperation with federal authorities, even in cases involving violent criminals. Shockingly, this policy is replicated in seven other cities across Massachusetts.
In this particular instance, the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division within Boston’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office attempted to detain the illegal immigrant for deportation. However, local authorities callously refused to cooperate, leading the Dorchester District Court to release the accused Haitian rapist with a monitoring device pending trial for his heinous sexual assault charges.
ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons expressed his dismay, stating, “Disturbingly and despite our filing an immigration detainer, this individual was released back into the community by the criminal court.” He stressed that a key part of the ERO’s job is to apprehend persons who are unlawfully present and that the organization is dedicated to protecting the community from those who threaten public safety.
Despite this setback, federal authorities diligently launched an investigation upon learning of the Haitian migrant’s criminal arrest and unlawful immigration status through various sources. When the county court callously refused to honor the immigration detainer, ERO took matters into their own hands, apprehending the suspect in Dorchester earlier this month. As a result of the work of ICE, the accused will remain in federal detention until an immigration judge hears his case. Once the state criminal prosecution is closed, ICE will seek his deportation from the United States.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident but rather part of a national crisis fueled by local governments protecting even the most violent illegal immigrant offenders. Rather than assisting federal authorities in deporting illegal aliens, local and county law enforcement agencies are releasing them, even though they have serious convictions such as child sex offenses, rape, and murder, due to the 287(g) collaboration’s refusal to honor ICE detainers.
This issue has become so pervasive that ICE had to resort to a billboard campaign a few years ago, seeking the public’s assistance in capturing alien felons released by various sanctuary law enforcement agencies in a single state. Judicial Watch has extensively reported on this crisis, detailing shocking instances where elected law enforcement officials released child sex offenders, central counties discharged numerous violent convicts, and an entire state – North Carolina – released nearly 500 illegal immigrant criminals within a year.
The issue of sanctuary cities presents a grave concern as a result of the intersection between the Biden administration’s lenient border policies and local jurisdictions prioritizing the protection of illegal immigrants over the safety of American citizens.
This troubling scenario allows for the release of potentially dangerous individuals, such as the recent case in Massachusetts involving a Haitian national accused of rape and assault. Similar to seven other Massachusetts cities, the sanctuary rules make it harder for federal officials, particularly the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) component of ICE, to hold and deport undocumented immigrants.
By ignoring immigration detainers in the name of helping illegal immigrants, we put communities at risk of re-releasing violent offenders who have already caused harm by slipping through the gaps. This widespread issue demands urgent attention and reform to strike a balance between compassion and safeguarding the well-being of American citizens.
To combat this dangerous trend, ICE has had to employ creative strategies, such as publicizing the release of offenders complete with mug shots, as was the case in two notorious Maryland counties, Montgomery and Prince George’s. The offenders were incarcerated for heinous crimes, including sexual offenses against children, rape, and murder. Such instances underscore the urgent need to address the systemic flaws in our immigration and law enforcement policies, putting the safety of Americans first.
