ERO Boston arrests three Portuguese nationals after posting bail following death of 1-year-old

BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston arrested three unlawfully present Portuguese nationals who were recently charged with child endangerment following the death of a 1-year-old child in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Deportation officers apprehended the three women, aged 32, 25 and 22, in Pawtucket Feb. 17.

“The alleged crimes of these unlawfully present individuals resulted in the death of an innocent child,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “Those who commit crimes against children must be held accountable. Unlawfully present foreign nationals posing a danger to our New England communities cannot expect to escape the consequences of their actions.”

22-year-old Carolina V. Ledo of Pawtucket, RI, 32-year-old Carla Sousa of Pawtucket, RI, and 25-year-old Daniela Ledo of Pawtucket, RI were arrested Feb. 11 by the Pawtucket Police Department in connection with the child’s death, which occurred under their care. Police also arrested 25-year-old Joao Resendes alleged to be the child’s father. The three women were charged with felony child endangerment; the alleged father was charged with manslaughter, three counts of second-degree child abuse, and child endangerment.

Police responded to their residence on an emergency call and found the boy unresponsive with significant bruising on his face. The child was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

One of the three female Portuguese nationals had been admitted on a nonimmigrant tourist visitor in April 1998 and unlawfully remained in the United States more than 25 years beyond the allowable terms of her visa. The other two Portuguese nationals were admitted to the United States under a visa waiver program — one in July 2016 and the other in March 2022. Both violated the terms of their visa waivers by remaining in the country longer than allowed.

Following their arraignment, all three women posted bail and were released by the 6th Division District Court of Rhode Island. The child’s alleged father was remanded to the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston, Rhode Island.