On Sept. 11, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested a 30-year-old Haitian national named Jefferson Jerome in Dorchester, Massachusetts. The suspect had been arraigned on July 26 in Nantucket District Court on charges including one count of rape of a child with a 10-year age difference and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, a crime he allegedly committed against a Massachusetts resident. (Related:
ICE agents arrest two illegal immigrants suspected of heinous sexual offenses.)
"
Jefferson Jerome stands accused of a horrific crime against a resident of our Massachusetts community," said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons following the arrest. "We will not tolerate the victimization of our neighbors. ERO Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by apprehending and removing egregious noncitizen offenders from New England."
Jerome has a history of
unlawful entry into the United States. He was first arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol on Sept. 21, 2021, after unlawfully crossing near Del Rio, Texas and was returned to Mexico. Despite this, Jerome attempted to enter the U.S. again on Dec. 15, 2022, at the Brownsville, Texas, port of entry. He was apprehended by U.S.
Customs and Border Protection and was issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge with the
Department of Justice.
On Sept. 11, Jerome was arraigned in Dorchester District Court for the sexual assault charge and was released on pretrial conditions, including the use of a GPS monitoring device. ERO Boston officers arrested him immediately after his release from state custody. Jerome is currently in ERO custody, pending further legal proceedings.
ICE has been arresting Haitian nationals involved in high-profile assault cases