A Guatemalan man living in the United States illegally was arrested by immigration authorities in Rhode Island on suspicion of sexually assaulting a child after being released from local custody last month.
Felix Meretz Guarcas, 45, was released from the Rhode Island Department of Corrections despite an immigration detainer's request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold him until federal authorities can take him into custody, according to ICE. He was released.
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Felix Meretz Guarcas, 45, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, was charged in Rhode Island with sexually assaulting a child. (ice)
One detainee wants local authorities to notify immigration officials when a suspected illegal immigrant is scheduled to be released so federal authorities can detain the person and begin deportation proceedings.
“We use immigration detainees as a public safety tool,” Patricia Hyde, acting Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) Boston field office director, said in a statement. “We requested that the Rhode Island Department of Corrections detain Meretz Guarcas so he could be held in a facility, but he was released and placed on home confinement.”
“Unfortunately, the Department of Corrections does not allow home confinement releases, forcing our team of officers to arrest him in a public parking lot in Cranston rather than in a controlled environment inside the jail,” he added. .
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Exterior of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in Washington, DC, on July 6, 2018. us (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
ICE said it is unclear when Meretz Guarcas entered the United States illegally.
On February 16, 2022, he was arrested by the Pawtucket Police Department in Rhode Island on charges of misdemeanor, disorderly conduct, and felony assault on a police officer or other employee. He was found guilty and sentenced to six months' probation.
On November 20, Meretz Guarcas was arrested again and charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child and five counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child, ICE announced.
According to authorities, the incident occurred on September 3rd.
A law enforcement officer walks past the ICE logo before a press conference at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Headquarters on Thursday, May 11, 2017, in Washington, DC. (Salwan Georges/Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Mr. Meretz Guarcas remains in ICE custody and charges are pending.
