ICE Arrests Illegal Immigrant Previously Convicted of Child Rape
Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a convicted child rapist who faces “immediate deportation.”
Saulo Cardosa, 37, was taken into custody on November 14 on Martha’s Vineyard. He has been wanted in Brazil since failing to appear to serve a 14-year sentence after he was convicted in 2019 of the rape of a 5-year-old.
It was not known how long Cardoso has been hiding out in the U.S., but ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations office in Boston began looking for him after being alerted to the possibility of his presence late last month. He will be held until his removal hearing, the Boston ERO said in a statement.
@EROBoston arrests Brazilian convicted sex offender fugitive on Martha’s Vineyard. Read more: https://t.co/48y18wzn8a. pic.twitter.com/ok0rKpmM19
— ERO Boston (@EROBoston) November 20, 2023
An unblurred image posted by Boston’s WFXT appeared to show Cardosa’s face (next to that of a second illegal immigrant taken into custody in relation to rape charges).
— ERO Boston (@EROBoston) November 21, 2023
According to a statement from its Boston office in relation to the arrest, ERO nationally apprehended over 46,000 immigrants with nearly 200,000 charges against them in fiscal year 2022.
“This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 kidnapping offenses,” the statement said.
The Boston ERO office told WFXT it has seen a “a significant increase in the number of foreign fugitives coming to Massachusetts to escape charges in their home countries,” the outlet reported.
You can read the entire media release below.
Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston arrested an undocumented Brazilian sex offender Nov. 14 on Martha’s Vineyard. Deportation officers from ERO Boston’s Fugitive Operations Team South apprehended the 37-year-old noncitizen near his residence in West Tisbury. The Brazilian national is wanted by authorities in his home country for failure to serve a prison sentence for raping a 5-year-old child.
“This undocumented Brazilian national represented a significant threat to the inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons. “He sexually assaulted a five-year-old child in his homeland and then ran from authorities when held accountable for his actions. ERO Boston will not allow such predators to threaten our residents. We will continue to apprehend and remove anyone who attempts to use our New England community as a refuge from justice.”
The Brazilian national received multiple criminal convictions for raping a child and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. After his convictions and before sentencing, the Brazilian citizen fled the country.
In May 2019, upon his failure to appear for his sentence, the 2nd Criminal Court of Sorriso in the town of Sorriso, Mato Grosso, Brazil, issued a warrant for his arrest.
The undocumented noncitizen unlawfully entered the United States on an unknown date at an unknown location without being inspected or admitted by an immigration official.
ERO Boston learned of the Brazilian national’s presence on Martha’s Vineyard on Sept. 28.
ERO Boston’s Fugitive Operations Team South apprehended him during a vehicle stop and served him with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration judge. The Brazilian national will remain in ERO custody pending his removal proceedings.
ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the DOJ’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is a separate entity from DHS and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal.
In fiscal year 2022, ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories. This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 kidnapping offenses.
As one of ICE’s three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.
Members of the public can report crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 (866-DHS-2ICE) or completing the online tip form.
Learn more about ERO Boston’s mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROBoston.
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