ERO Boston arrests Brazilian international fugitive convicted of rape of a child

BOSTON - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston arrested Alexandre Romao De Oliveira Nov. 18 in Methuen. De Oliveira, 41, is a Brazilian foreign fugitive convicted of rape of a child in Brazil.

"Alexandre Romao De Oliveira is a convicted child rapist who fled his home country to evade justice," said acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde of ERO Boston. "Enhancing public safety starts with cooperation between law enforcement partners. Bringing this fugitive to justice is a direct result of the collaboration between ERO Boston, the ICE attaché offices around the globe, and our foreign law enforcement counterparts."

The First Criminal Court of Jaru, Rondonia, Brazil convicted Romao De Oliveira Feb. 10, 2022, of rape of a child and sentenced him to serve 14 years. Romao De Oliveira fled Brazil prior to serving his sentence. Romao De Oliveira entered the United States near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, Apr. 16, 2022, without admission by an immigration official and was released from DHS custody after having been served with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice Executive Office of Immigration Review judge.

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.