U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended a Guatemalan national in Framingham, Massachusetts, on February 2, who is facing multiple charges of child rape. Jose Fernando-Perez, 49, who was illegally present in the United States, has been charged with three counts of forcible rape of a child and three counts of aggravated rape of a child.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde emphasized the severity of the charges and the agency’s commitment to targeting dangerous individuals.
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“Jose Fernando-Perez has been charged with some horrific crimes against a minor in our commonwealth,” Hyde said. “He is exactly the type of alien we are targeting with our ‘worst first’ policy. He posed a significant danger to the children of Massachusetts, and we will not tolerate such a threat to our community. ICE Boston will continue to prioritize the safety of our public by arresting and removing egregious alien offenders from our New England communities.”
Fernando-Perez illegally entered the United States on an unknown date and at an unknown location without being inspected, admitted, or paroled by a U.S. immigration official. His criminal history in the U.S. dates back to 2005, when he was arraigned in Lynn District Court for leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and attaching inaccurate license plates. He was convicted of those charges in 2012.
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In April 2022, Fernando-Perez was arraigned in Lynn District Court for rape of a child by force. The case was later dismissed after he was indicted in superior court. ICE lodged an immigration detainer against him on May 16, 2022, with the Essex County House of Correction.
However, the Essex County Superior Court in Salem, Massachusetts, ignored the detainer and released Fernando-Perez on pre-trial conditions on October 6, 2022.
The superior court had arraigned Fernando-Perez on three counts of rape of a child by force and three counts of aggravated rape of a child. Despite the serious nature of the charges, his release prompted ICE to take action to ensure he would not pose a further threat to the community.
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Following his arrest, ICE officers served Fernando-Perez with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge. He remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
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