ICE arrests Ecuadorian wanted for child rape in Northampton

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), deportation officials have arrested an Ecuadorian man who was wanted in his home country for child rape and was hiding in Northampton.

According to an ICE press release, ICE officers arrested the man on June 12 near his home in Northampton.

U.S. Border Patrol agents originally arrested the man on June 4, 2021, after he illegally entered the U.S. in Arizona, ICE said. Agents then served the man a summons to appear before a Justice Department immigration judge and released him from custody.

On May 16, 2023, Ecuadorian authorities issued an arrest warrant for the man as a fugitive from justice after he was accused of raping a minor and violating privacy, ICE said.

“This Ecuadorian refugee faces some very serious charges, but instead of facing justice, he fled and attempted to seek refuge in Massachusetts,” Todd Lyons, Boston field office director, said in the release. “He posed a significant threat to the children of our communities, and we cannot allow this to continue.”