In recent times, there’s been a notable uptick in arrests of immigrant suspects linked to child abuse incidents in eastern Massachusetts.
This issue came to the forefront once more as Boston Mayor Michelle Wu initiated a lawsuit on Tuesday, following a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi threatening the withholding of federal funds unless cooperation with immigration enforcement was improved.
According to the Boston Field Office of ICE, a child under 16 was reportedly raped in an immigration shelter by Corey Bernard Alvarez, a national from Haiti, who was taken into custody in August 2024.
“We cannot allow any potential threats to children in our community to remain unaddressed. ERO Boston will keep prioritizing public safety by arresting and removing dangerous offenders from New England,” an official remarked.
The 10-year-old victim’s abuse was allegedly perpetrated by nearby Haitian immigrants in the Boston suburbs. In a separate incident, 18-year-old Akim Marc Desire was arrested in September and later taken into custody by ICE for similar reasons, having arrived in Boston from Miami.
Additionally, another unidentified minor has reportedly suffered because of Steven de Pas Munoz, a national of Guatemala.
Patricia Hyde, the director of the Boston ICE Field Office, emphasized the commitment to child safety: “We owe it to children in our New England communities to put public safety first. ERO Boston will actively pursue the removal of any non-civil threats.” In February, a man named Jose Fernando Perez was charged with multiple counts of child rape and forced rape. Perez, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, was apprehended in Flameham, a suburb west of Boston.
Hyde emphasized that individuals like Perez pose a serious danger to Massachusetts children, further asserting their commitment to eradicating such threats. She stated, “ICE Boston continues to prioritize the safety of our residents by targeting and removing serious foreign criminals.” Notably, ICE had previously detained Perez in 2022.
Last September, three other undocumented immigrants accused of child rape were also arrested in Nantucket.
One of them, Elmer Sora, originally from El Salvador, faced numerous counts of sexual assault. Another, Brian Daniel Aldana Arevaro, also from El Salvador, was charged with rape involving a child with a significant age difference.
In Lawrence, just north of Boston, Gilbert Avila Jara, who was deported in 1996, returned to the U.S. unlawfully and faced charges related to over 20 child sexual abuse cases in 2024.
ICE’s Hyde labeled the actions of Guatemalan national Sosthenez Perez Lopez as “horrifying,” noting his previous detention history with ICE in Suffolk County.
In 2024, Colombian nationals were also arrested in Boston for serious offenses involving children, including seduction, distribution of indecent substances, and child exposure. Mateo Hincape Cardona faced legal processes regarding these issues and was eventually taken into custody by ICE after earlier releases by local authorities.
ICE has highlighted that detaining individuals is crucial for public safety as it helps focus enforcement resources on non-citizens engaged in criminal activity, potentially reducing re-offending and ensuring safer arrests.
Recent reports have also mentioned arrests of Haitian immigrants on various allegations, including one who expressed anti-Trump sentiments while being apprehended.
Further investigations revealed other illegal immigrants from Türkiye and the Dominican Republic facing serious charges, underscoring the ongoing challenges confronting law enforcement in combating such crimes.
