A Brazilian man wanted and convicted for the rape of a child was able to obtain a tourist visa to enter the U.S., Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Thursday.
ICE nabbed the 62-year-old fugitive in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, on Nov. 28, the agency said. The fugitive fled Brazil after his conviction, but before his sentencing, and entered the U.S. via New York in April.
Brazilian authorities issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to show up to serve his sentence in May, according to ICE.
“There is no more repulsive and disturbing crime than the sexual assault of a child. We are proud to have apprehended this convicted rapist and will seek to remove him from the United States so that he cannot prey on the members of our community,” Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons said in a statement.
The Brazilian national remains in ICE custody pending his removal proceedings, the agency said.
The U.S. government typically requires that applicants seeking visas partake in an interview with an embassy or consulate official, according to the State Department. Criminal activity tied to an applicant may disqualify them from obtaining a visa.
“Convicted foreign fugitives are not welcome here. ERO Boston will not relent in our efforts to locate, apprehend and remove them from our country,” Lyons said.
ICE arrested more than 46,000 noncitizens with criminal backgrounds in fiscal year 2022, which included more than 8,000 sexual assault offenses, according to the agency.
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