ICE arrests convicted child rapist from Brazil on Martha’s Vineyard

A Brazilian sex offender was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at his Martha’s Vineyard home on Nov. 14, the agency announced Monday. 

The 37-year-old man, whose name the agency has not released, was convicted in Brazil of raping a 5-year-old and fled the country to evade a 14-year prison sentence, according to ICE. 

ICE’s Boston Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) unit reportedly arrested the man during a traffic stop, and is holding him in custody pending a court appearance before a federal immigration judge. The judge will decide whether he should be deported back to Brazil.

In its press release, ICE said it does not know when or where the man entered the United States, only that he is a noncitizen who is in the country unlawfully. The Second Criminal Court of Sorriso in Sorriso, Mato Grosso, Brazil, issued a warrant for his arrest in May 2019 after he failed to appear for his sentencing.

“This undocumented Brazilian national represented a significant threat to the inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard,” ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons said in the press release. “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.”

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