BOSTON, MA - Earlier in September, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers working out of the Boston field office apprehended a fugitive from El Salvador who is wanted on homicide charges in his home country.
According to a press release shared by the agency, ICE Boston reportedly apprehended Leonel Santos-Diaz on September 2 during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in the neighboring city of Chelsea.
Santos-Diaz, who is reportedly a suspect in an ongoing investigation involving “aggravated robbery, threats and sexual aggression,” is also wanted on charges of aggravated homicide, human trafficking, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest in El Salvador. The Salvadoran fugitive has also previously been deported from the United States twice, according to agency officials.
ICE Boston Field Office Director David T. Wesling issued a statement following Santos-Diaz’s apprehension, highlighting how “the dishonest media” would frame his apprehension as a “non-criminal arrest,” a nod to previous reports framing the agency as deviating from the administration’s stated mission to apprehend the “worst of the worst” offenders.
“Sadly, this is yet another example of what the dishonest media will portray as a non-criminal arrest, despite Leonel Santos-Diaz being charged with aggravated homicide and human trafficking in his home country,” Director Wesling stated.
The ICE Boston Field Office Director went on to specifically call out Massachusetts’ recently enacted “PROTECT Act,” a bill signed into law this past August that limits collaboration between state and local authorities and federal immigration authorities in civil immigration enforcement.
“The ironically named ‘Protect Act’ in Massachusetts is designed to shield individuals like Santos-Diaz from arrest and deportation. Do any Massachusetts residents really feel protected by his presence in their community? While sanctuary politicians in Massachusetts choose to prioritize criminal aliens, ICE Boston will continue to aggressively pursue President Trump’s agenda of making our cities safe for American citizens,” Director Wesling concluded.
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