ICE captures illegal immigrant wanted for alleged sexual assault of a minor, in Mass.

A Salvadoran illegal immigrant wanted for allegedly sexually assaulting a child has been arrested by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Massachusettsafter the local sheriff’s office ignored an arrest warrant to hold him.

ICE said its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Boston arrested Hugo Israel Ruiz, 55, on Dec. 17 on felony charges of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, adding that he remains in custody pending immigration and criminal proceedings.

The Revere Police Department arrested Ruiz on August 22 and his hearing was held in Chelsea District Court.

The court allowed Ruiz to be released on bail from the Nashua Street jail, despite a immigration detention requesting that ICE be notified of his release.

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But the sheriff’s office that operates the jail ignored the detainer and released Ruiz to the public without notifying ICE.

“ERO Boston will take advantage of every opportunity to identify, locate and detain non-citizen criminals facing serious felony charges and hold them in custody until their criminal and immigration proceedings are resolved,” said Patricia H. Hyde, acting director of the Office of the ERO Boston field. “This is not only our mission, but it is also the most lawful thing we can do.”

In October 2019, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department terminated its contract with ICE and instead opted to transfer resources due to the growing population of women entering the Suffolk County House of Correction, according to a statement from Sheriff Steve Thompkins at the time.

“We are ending our contract with ICE to reallocate our resources to help local women address long-standing issues that have contributed to their involvement in the criminal justice system,” Tompkins said in the statement. “Our gender-specific programming, which is among the best in the country, allows us to address these issues, including domestic violence, sexual exploitation and substance use disorders, to name a few.”

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The statement, which appears on his campaign website, noted that the contract with ICE to house federal immigrant detainees was first signed in 2003. Then-acting ICE director ERO Boston said the agency was disappointed by the decision. of the sheriff after sharing a “mutually beneficial” agreement. “Collaboration for more than a decade.

The latest arrest comes as Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has said her state police will “absolutely” cooperate with the expected mass deportation effort by the incoming Trump administration, warning that she will use “all the tools in the toolbox” to “protect” blue state residents.

President-elect Trump has promised to launch the “largest national deportation operation in American history” to deport millions of illegal immigrants. A report from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) estimated that 50,000 immigrants have arrived in the state since 2021.

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“I think it’s important that we all recognize that there will be a lot of pressure on states and state officials. I can assure you that we are going to work hard to get it done,” Healey said after President-elect Trump’s forceful response. election victory last month.

Last year, Healey declared a state of emergency in the state because of the increase and called for federal action. He also acknowledged that state policies can attract immigrants.

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“Many of these families are immigrants to Massachusetts, drawn here because we are and have proudly been a beacon for those in need,” he wrote in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.