BOSTON, MA - An illegal alien who crossed the southern border in 2023 is facing a number of criminal charges relating to sex crimes against children.
Emilio Jose Pena-Casilla, 46, was arrested in Boston on Dec. 17, according to a statement released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The national of the Dominican Republic faces charges of assault to rape, kidnapping, two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older, and intimidation of an official, witness, or juror.
The alien crossed into the United States in the vicinity of Eagle Pass, Texas in January 2023. Pena-Casilla was enrolled into the Department of Homeland Security's "Alternatives to Detention" program, commonly used under the administration of President Joe Biden to release those facing criminal charges of illegally entering the country.
After being released from immigration detention on his own recognizance, Pena-Casilla was terminated from DHS's Alternative to Detention program in Feburary the same year under unclear circumstances. It's possible that Pena-Casilla's refusal to cooperate with immigration court proceedings could have spurred the legal action, but in any event, it appears he remained out of federal custody.
Boston's Dorchester District Court indicted Pena-Casilla on the criminal charges in July of 2024, spurring ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations to file a detainer against the defendant. The court chose to ignore the ICE detainer on Pena-Casilla when he was released from Boston's Nashua Street Jail that same month.
The Suffolk County Superior Court indicted Pena-Casilla on the same charges, leading the Dorchester District Court to drop their proceedings against the accused predator. He remained outside of custody until last month, and the detainer filed against him makes it unlikely he'll manage to regain his freedom before his immigration and sexual criminal charges are adjudicated.
“Emilio Jose Pena-Casilla stands accused of some very serious offenses against a Massachusetts resident,” Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde of ERO Boston said of the announcement. “We hold a sacred duty to protect the residents of our communities, and we will continue to do so by apprehending and removing egregious noncitizen offenders from our neighborhoods. Today, another victim in Massachusetts no longer needs to fear their predator.”
Releasing illegal aliens into American communities became standard practice of DHS under the leadership of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Critics of immigration have advocated for the quick expulsion of aliens as an alternative to their enrollment in the lengthy and byzantine immigration court process. The presidential transition of Donald Trump has suggested it'll reapply Title 42 of the United States Code to allow quick expulsions of illegals, a legal move utilized during the coronavirus pandemic to considerable effect.
Emilio Jose Pena-Casilla, 46, was arrested in Boston on Dec. 17, according to a statement released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The national of the Dominican Republic faces charges of assault to rape, kidnapping, two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older, and intimidation of an official, witness, or juror.
The alien crossed into the United States in the vicinity of Eagle Pass, Texas in January 2023. Pena-Casilla was enrolled into the Department of Homeland Security's "Alternatives to Detention" program, commonly used under the administration of President Joe Biden to release those facing criminal charges of illegally entering the country.
After being released from immigration detention on his own recognizance, Pena-Casilla was terminated from DHS's Alternative to Detention program in Feburary the same year under unclear circumstances. It's possible that Pena-Casilla's refusal to cooperate with immigration court proceedings could have spurred the legal action, but in any event, it appears he remained out of federal custody.
Boston's Dorchester District Court indicted Pena-Casilla on the criminal charges in July of 2024, spurring ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations to file a detainer against the defendant. The court chose to ignore the ICE detainer on Pena-Casilla when he was released from Boston's Nashua Street Jail that same month.
The Suffolk County Superior Court indicted Pena-Casilla on the same charges, leading the Dorchester District Court to drop their proceedings against the accused predator. He remained outside of custody until last month, and the detainer filed against him makes it unlikely he'll manage to regain his freedom before his immigration and sexual criminal charges are adjudicated.
“Emilio Jose Pena-Casilla stands accused of some very serious offenses against a Massachusetts resident,” Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde of ERO Boston said of the announcement. “We hold a sacred duty to protect the residents of our communities, and we will continue to do so by apprehending and removing egregious noncitizen offenders from our neighborhoods. Today, another victim in Massachusetts no longer needs to fear their predator.”
Releasing illegal aliens into American communities became standard practice of DHS under the leadership of Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Critics of immigration have advocated for the quick expulsion of aliens as an alternative to their enrollment in the lengthy and byzantine immigration court process. The presidential transition of Donald Trump has suggested it'll reapply Title 42 of the United States Code to allow quick expulsions of illegals, a legal move utilized during the coronavirus pandemic to considerable effect.
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