ICE Arrests Illegal Charged With Raping Mass. Child

A 20-year-old illegal immigrant from Guatemala who was released on bail after being charged with raping a child in Massachusetts has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Selvin Alex Galvez-Mejia was arraigned in district court in Springfield, Massachusetts, on July 18 after being charged with two counts of aggravated rape of a child and indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older. He was released after he posted bail, according to ICE.

It is not known why Galvez-Mejia was allowed to be released on bail after being charged with child rape, but Springfield declared itself in 2019 as a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants.

"Galvez-Mejia stands accused of horrifically victimizing a Massachusetts child and represents a significant threat to our neighborhoods," Patricia Hyde, acting field office director for ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations unit in Boston, said Friday in a news release. "We owe it to the children of our New England communities to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing egregious noncitizen threats."

Officers with ERO Boston arrested Galvez-Mejia on Oct. 18 in Springfield and issued him a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge. He remains in ERO custody. The news release stated ICE officials did not know when or where Galvez-Mejia entered the country.

The arrest comes as Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Biden administration overall, have come under intense scrutiny over the rising number of crimes being committed by illegal immigrants the past 3 1/2 years.

ICE revealed last month that 435,719 illegal immigrants who have been convicted of crimes have not been detained because several local municipalities refuse to cooperate with the agency. Among those criminals who reportedly are now living outside of detention centers with criminal convictions are 13,000 for homicide, 16,000 for sexual assault, 56,000 for drug charges, and 65,000 for assault.