A Haitian immigrant accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in a Massachusetts hotel was released on $500 bail last week, despite continued requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to transfer him to their custody.
Cory Alvarez, a 26-year-old Haitian national who was allowed into the U.S. through a controversial parole program that allows up to 30,000 migrants to enter each month, was indicted in March on child rape charges.
ICE said in a statement that its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office in Boston filed a detention order for Alvarez with the local sheriff’s office on March 14. A detention order is a request by authorities to notify ICE of an individual believed to be subject to deportation so that ICE can take the individual to federal custody for deportation.
As in many “sanctuary” jurisdictions in this case, the detention order was not complied with and Alvarez was released on bail.
“On June 27, Plymouth Superior Court refused to honor ERO Boston’s immigration detention order and released Alvarez on $500 bail,” said ICE Boston ERO spokesman James Covington.
The Boston Globe reported that prosecutors had sought to set bail at $25,000, but the judge instead set it at $500, on the condition he comply with a number of conditions, including house arrest and supervision.
Alvarez’s attorney, Brian A. Kelly, told Fox News Digital that Alvarez was released after a three-part hearing that reviewed medical records, monitoring and testimony.
“No injuries were found on the alleged victim. Surveillance video shows her entering the room and coming out eight minutes later, with her clothing intact, walking past two National Guard soldiers without saying a word,” Kelly said, confirming that Alvarez had been released on bail.
He also said Alvarez’s bail conditions included home confinement and the surrender of his passport, which he has complied with. Massachusetts ruling The court ruled that it did not have the authority to detain an individual solely based on an ICE detention order.
“I hope all of Karen Reid’s supporters will find a new purpose in supporting Corey Alvarez’s innocence,” Kelly added.
Alvarez arrived in June as part of a Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan (CHNV) parole process. The policy was first announced for Venezuelans in October 2022 and allowed a limited number of them to fly directly into the U.S. as long as they were not in the country illegally, had a sponsor already in the U.S. and passed certain screening procedures.
In January 2023, the administration announced that the program would be expanded to include Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Cubans, allowing up to 30,000 people to enter the U.S. each month. The program allows immigrants to receive work authorization and a two-year residence permit in the U.S., and it was also announced that Title 42 expulsion would be expanded to include these nationalities.
The Department of Homeland Security described the process as a “safe and orderly way to enter the United States” and said it was a “key component” of the administration’s efforts to address high levels of immigration across the Western Hemisphere. Republicans have accused the administration of abusing the parole process with the program.
The Biden administration has admitted more than 138,000 Haitians to the United States through the CHNV parole program since January 2023, according to official data.
