Two illegal immigrants suspected of heinous sexual offenses were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on consecutive days in Nantucket Island.
On Sept. 10, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) apprehended a 28-year-old Salvadoran national named Bryan Daniel Aldana-Arevalo. The suspect had been arraigned on July 26 in Nantucket District Court on charges including one count of rape of a child with a 10-year age difference and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.
But despite these charges, Aldana-Arevalo was released by the district court on bail three days later on July 29. Aldana-Arevalo remained in the Nantucket community until he was detained by ICE nearly 45 days after his release. (Related: Kentucky man charged with smuggling MINORS into the U.S. to make child porn.)
"Bryan Daniel Aldana-Arevalo stands accused of some detestable and disturbing crimes against a Nantucket child," said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. "He represents a significant danger to the children of our Massachusetts communities. ERO Boston will not tolerate such a threat to the most vulnerable of our population. We will continue to prioritize the safety of our public by arresting and removing egregious noncitizen offenders from our New England neighborhoods."
The following day, Sept. 11, ICE agents arrested another illegal immigrant with a similar case, a Brazilian national named Gean Do Amaral Belafronte.
Belafronte entered the U.S. legally on Oct. 8, 2018, but violated the terms of his stay and voluntarily left the country on April 18, 2021. Before his departure, Belafronte had been arrested in connection with an alleged assault in which he threatened and attempted to rape a woman.
After reentering the U.S. at an unknown location and date, Belafronte was arrested again on March 12, and arraigned on charges of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 years or older. And just like Aldana-Arevalo, Belafronte was released on $500 cash bail or a $5,000 surety bond by the Nantucket District Court and remained free until his arrest by ICE.
Both men are currently being held in ICE custody following their arrests, pending further legal proceedings.
