Warley Neto, a 24-year-old Brazilian, faced ICE in Boston three times before federal agents were finally permitted to arrest him. During this process, the two cities involved, Edgartown and Tisbury, claimed sanctuary status and ignored federal requests.

On August 23, Neto was arrested on five counts of rape and five counts of enticing a minor. He was eventually detained by federal authorities in Edgartown, a notoriously liberal area. However, he was released with a light sentence after the Edgartown District Court suspended most of his sentence, and ERO was not informed of his planned release.

A few months later, in January of this year, Neto was back in trouble with authorities on another rape charge. Once again, ERO requested a local detainer, which was eventually honored after Neto was transferred to ICE custody.

This is not an isolated incident. Similar cases have occurred with Jorge Luis Castro-Alvarado and Cory Alvarez, two other illegal immigrants. Castro-Alvarado, who was charged with rape, had his sentence reduced and was released. Alvarez, charged with child rape, was released on a low bond despite ERO’s detainer request.

“We are grateful to the Dukes County Sheriff’s Office for prioritizing public safety and ensuring Neto's removal,” said Todd M. Lyons of ERO Boston. “We continually face failures from local jurisdictions in apprehending dangerous criminals. ERO Boston will keep fighting to arrest and remove New England’s most dangerous offenders.”

This systemic failure highlights how vulnerable our society is to threats from individuals who should already be out of the country.