A Brazilian national who was in the United States illegally and wanted in his home country on drug trafficking charges was arrested by federal authorities in a sanctuary city in Massachusetts near Boston.
The unidentified suspect was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Somerville on Tuesday. ICE is scheduled to vote next week on a resolution that would reaffirm its sanctuary status and provide taxpayer-funded legal services to undocumented immigrants. Police have pledged not to cooperate with ICE in detaining illegal immigrants.
The Brazilian entered the United States via El Paso, Texas, in 2022 and was released despite being charged with drug trafficking in his home country.
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An illegal Brazilian immigrant wanted in his home country on drug trafficking charges has been arrested in Massachusetts, authorities said. (ice)
“This non-national is accused of serious crimes in Brazil,” said Patricia H. Hyde, ERO's acting Boston field office director. “Public safety is ERO Boston's primary mission, and our employees are committed to removing potentially dangerous non-citizens from our streets.”
He was ordered deported in January, but subsequent appeals failed and a federal immigration judge issued a final deportation order in June.
A Dominican national who entered the United States illegally in July 2021 was also arrested in Massachusetts. Belladis Tapia Gonzalez is charged in Rhode Island with child molestation/sexual assault. He was arrested Monday in the Boston suburb of Lynn.
An MS-13 gang member from El Salvador who entered the United States to flee has been convicted of assault in that state. ICE detained him in Northampton District Court, but he was released into the community without federal immigration authorities being notified.
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Beladis Tapia Gonzalez was arrested Monday in Lynn, Massachusetts, according to ICE. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
He was eventually arrested in Norhampton.
Democratic Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu came under fire after President-elect Donald Trump opposed his campaign promise to carry out mass deportations of illegal immigrants when he returns to the Oval Office in January. has been criticized.
Healey vowed that state police would “absolutely” not cooperate with the incoming Trump administration's expected mass deportation efforts and would use “every tool in their toolbox” to “protect” residents of blue states. he warned.
Healey's office said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Thursday: “As part of our immigration crackdown, the Governor believes individuals who commit violent crimes such as those alleged here should be deported. ” he said.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said they would not comply with President-elect Trump's immigration crackdown efforts when he returns to the White House in January. (Getty Images)
Wu also spoke out against Trump in an interview Sunday, saying the city is facing the incoming administration's impending mass deportation campaign, despite the region's large numbers of undocumented immigrants facing criminal charges being released onto the streets. said they would not cooperate.
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Mass Republicans on Thursday accused Healey and Wu of putting politics over public safety amid arrests of criminal illegal immigrants.
“It's appalling that the governor of Massachusetts and the mayor of Boston, the state's largest city, are prioritizing placating the most extreme elements of their political base over the safety of Massachusetts residents,” Mass Republican Chairwoman Amy Carnevale said in a news release. And it's disgusting,” he said. release. “Parents across the Commonwealth are disappointed that people accused of such serious crimes are allowed to roam free because local authorities refuse to work with ICE to remove these criminals from our streets. I feel scared.”
Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
