ERO Boston arrests MS-13 member convicted of assault after local authorities refuse to turn him over to ICE

BOSTON - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston arrested Jose Luis Castro Jovel, a 24-year-old Salvadoran national and confirmed MS-13 gang member, Nov. 12. ERO Boston lodged an immigration detainer with the Northampton District Court asking for notification before Castro's release, but the court declined to honor it.

"ERO Boston is committed to keeping our communities safe, and we do that in partnership with local law enforcement," said ERO Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. "But the bottom line is that immigration detainers are public safety tools. We use them to keep potentially dangerous noncitizens off our streets, and when officials don't honor them, it puts our friends, families and neighbors at risk."

Castro entered the United States on an unknown date, at an unknown location, without being inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration official. A Department of Justice immigration judge ordered his removal March 22, 2023, but he remained in the country.

Northampton police arrested Castro Jan. 26 for assault and battery of a family or household member. ERO Boston lodged an immigration detainer against him with the Northampton District Court, which followed him to the Hampden County Correctional Center, where he was detained following his arraignment. However, the Northampton District Court released him Feb. 12 without notifying ERO Boston.

ERO Boston's Fugitive Operations Team arrested Castro on a public roadway in Northampton.

As part of its mission to identify and arrest removable noncitizens, ERO lodges immigration detainers against noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity and taken into custody by state or local law enforcement. An immigration detainer is a request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 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 is one of ICE's three operational directorates and 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.