ERO Boston arrests Portuguese national in Rhode Island convicted of crimes against Fall River child

BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston arrested a Portuguese national convicted of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. Deportation officers from ERO Boston apprehended the 69-year-old Portuguese national January 19 at the Bristol Police Department in Bristol, Rhode Island.

“This Portuguese national sexually assaulted an innocent child and therefore forfeited his right to remain within the borders of this great nation,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “Any noncitizen who commits such a detestable act against the most vulnerable members of our population should be removed from our country. The men and women of the ERO Boston field office will work tirelessly to ensure that such predators are not allowed to victimize the residents of our New England communities.”

The Portuguese noncitizen entered the United States lawfully in December 2013.

The Fall River Police Department arrested him in March 2018 and charged him with indecent assault and battery on child under 14, assault and battery on a family member, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery on a person over 60/disabled.

The Fall River District Court convicted him of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, a felony child sexual abuse crime, in October 2023. He received a two-year suspended sentence. The conviction negated his legal right to reside in the United States.

The apprehension of this Portuguese sex offender represented one of five arrests that ERO Boston made as part of a recent national immigration enforcement effort. During this national effort, deportation officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ERO field offices across the United States arrested 171 unlawfully present noncitizens with pending charges or convictions for egregious crimes such as homicide, rape, assault or sexual assault against children. The nationwide law enforcement effort ran from Jan.16 to Jan. 28.

The name of the offender was not released.