ERO Boston arrests Colombian citizen charged with sex crimes against a child

BOSTON - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston arrested a Colombian citizen unlawfully present in the United States Oct. 29. The Boston Police Department previously arrested him Oct. 16 on charges of enticing a child under 16, distribution of obscene matter, and lascivious posing and exhibiting a child in the nude.

Mateo Hincapie Cardona, 28, is currently in custody pending removal proceedings. ERO Boston lodged an immigration detainer with the Suffolk County House of Corrections, who failed to honor the detainer and released him from their custody Oct. 19.

"This individual is charged with committing heinous crimes against a child, which show him to be a distinct threat to our Massachusetts community," said ERO Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. "We remain committed to enforcing immigration law and prioritizing community safety, particularly as it impacts our most vulnerable citizens."

U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered Cardona April 26 near Lukeville, Ariz., where they arrested and released him the same day on his own recognizance.

The Charlestown District Court arraigned Cardona Oct. 16 on charges of enticing a child under 16, distribution of obscene matter, and lascivious posing and exhibiting a child in the nude. ERO Boston lodged a detainer that day, which the Suffolk County House of Corrections confirmed they received. Officers from ERO Boston located and arrested Cardona in East Boston after learning the detainer had not been honored.

ERO lodges immigration detainers against noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity and taken into custody by state or local law enforcement as part of its mission to identify and arrest removable noncitizens. An immigration detainer is a request from ICE to state or local law enforcement agencies to notify ICE as early as possible before a removable noncitizen is released from their custody. Detainers request that state or local law enforcement agencies maintain custody of the noncitizen for a period not to exceed 48 hours beyond the time the individual would otherwise be released, allowing ERO to assume custody for removal purposes in accordance with federal law.

Detainers are critical public safety tools because they focus enforcement resources on removable noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity. Detainers increase the safety of all parties involved - ERO personnel, law enforcement officials, removable noncitizens and the public - by allowing an arrest to be made in a secure and controlled custodial setting as opposed to at-large within the community. Because detainers result in the direct transfer of a noncitizen from state or local custody to ERO custody, they also minimize the potential that an individual will reoffend. Additionally, detainers conserve scarce government resources by allowing ERO to take criminal noncitizens into custody directly rather than expending resources locating these individuals at-large.

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review. The Executive Office for Immigration Review is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 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.

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 crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ICE's mission to increase public safety in our New England communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROBoston.