Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended a migrant in Boston on November 18th, facing charges including kidnapping, property damage, home invasion, and multiple assault and battery counts. Julio Esteban Batista-Castillo, 24, allegedly entered the U.S. illegally in January 2023.

ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston Acting Field Office Director, Patricia Hyde, expressed concern over the Roxbury District Court's failure to honor an ICE detainer for Batista-Castillo. This detainer would have allowed ICE to take custody of him in a secure environment after his arraignment. Hyde stated that Batista-Castillo's alleged crimes, including assault and battery involving strangulation and a firearm, posed a significant community risk.

Hyde criticized the court's decision, emphasizing that ignoring the detainer endangered both the community and ICE officers. The detainer was a request for law enforcement to briefly hold Batista-Castillo so ICE could safely apprehend him. This incident follows a pattern of ICE Boston apprehending violent migrants this year, including MS-13 gang member Belardis Tapia Gonzalez, arrested for alleged second-degree child molestation, and Mateo Hincapie Cardona, arrested for alleged child enticement and related offenses.