U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement captured Jose Garcia-Salmeron, a Salvadoran national who was in the country illegally and accused of raping a Massachusetts resident. The arrest took place in Boston on January 22nd.
“Jose Garcia-Salmeron is charged with victimizing one of our Massachusetts residents and represents a significant threat to the safety of Massachusetts neighborhoods,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. “We will not tolerate such threats to our neighbors. ERO Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by targeting, arresting, and removing any illegally present individuals who present such a threat to our New England communities.”
On July 16, 2007, U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended Garcia for unlawfully entering the United States. Subsequently, they issued him a notice to appear before an immigration judge from the Department of Justice. Following this, Garcia was transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which ultimately released him from custody on August 31, 2007.
On November 11, 2007, an immigration judge issued a removal order for Garcia, instructing him to leave the United States and return to El Salvador.
On July 2, 2024, ERO Boston encountered Garcia after he was arrested by the Revere Police Department in Massachusetts. Following his arrest, ERO Boston issued an immigration detainer against him with the Nashua Street Jail in Boston.
Garcia was arraigned on July 3, 2024, in the Chelsea District Court on a charge of rape, which has been indicted to the Suffolk Superior Court in Boston.
ERO Boston claims that Garcia was released from custody by the Chelsea District Court in Massachusetts on July 26, 2024, despite ERO Boston’s immigration detainer being ignored.
Garcia is still under the custody of ERO.