An illegal Haitian immigrant facing drug and weapons charges in Massachusetts was released into the U.S. by southern border officials last year, officials said this week, just as Haitian immigration became a top political issue.
The Boston office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it had taken Gasnoy St. Hilme into custody in Worcester District Court on August 26. The Haitian national is charged with conspiracy to violate drug laws, distribution of narcotics, manufacturing of narcotics and unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon.
According to ICE, Border Patrol encountered St. Hilme after he entered the United States illegally in February 2023. He was given notice to appear before an immigration judge and released on probation, ICE said in a statement.
Haitian migrants accused of child abuse enter US under controversial Biden-Harris plan
ICE agents arrested Santillum after receiving a tip from the Worcester Sheriff's Office. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
He was arrested in Worcester on March 7 on suspicion of conspiracy to violate drug laws, but after being released on bail, he was arrested again in April on weapons and drug charges.
After ICE issued a detention order — an order requiring ICE to notify local authorities of a suspected illegal immigrant's possible release so they can detain him — the sheriff's office notified authorities that the suspect had posted bail.
“Gasnoy Santillum was charged with illegally entering the United States and conspiracy, weapons charges and attempted manufacturing and distribution of poisons in Massachusetts communities,” Todd Lyons, director of the ICE Enforcement and Deportation Operations Boston Field Office, said in a statement. “We are extremely pleased that our partners at the Worcester County Sheriff's Office complied with the immigration detention order and turned Santillum over to ERO officers. The Worcester County Sheriff's Office continues to be a valuable ally in our fight to prioritize public safety in our Massachusetts neighborhoods. ERO Boston will continue our efforts to apprehend and remove violent criminal aliens from New England.”
The announcement of Saint-Hilme's arrest comes as Haitian immigration remains a major political issue in the U.S. Former President Donald Trump this week brought up the issues the city of Springfield, Ohio, has had with Haitian immigrants, which has seen a surge in the number of Haitians in recent years.
Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine He also announced that the Biden-Harris administration would dedicate resources to mitigating the influx of approximately 20,000 Haitian migrants who have arrived legally in Springfield.
“As these numbers have increased dramatically, the federal government has an obligation, which has nothing to do with decisions about people's entry, to support local communities that are now seeing a massive influx of people,” Gov. DeWine said Tuesday.
Haitian immigrant in Massachusetts charged with child rape and released on $500 bail discovered and arrested by ICE
In Massachusetts, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials announced the arrest last week of a Haitian immigrant who had entered the United States as part of a Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan (CHNV) parole process and was accused of sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy who lived next door.
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Akim Mark Desire, 18, was arrested by police last week in Mansfield, Massachusetts, about 45 minutes south of Boston, and is charged with lewd acts and assault of a child under the age of 14. Law Enforcement Sources He told Fox News.
Last month, ICE said it had found and arrested a Haitian migrant brought in under the same program who had been charged with raping a 15-year-old girl while staying at a migrant hotel in the state but had been released on $500 bail.
Fox News' Michael Lee and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
