An illegal immigrant convicted of raping a child who was hiding out in a sanctuary city will soon have to go home.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 31-year-old Vagner Brito Paixao on Wednesday, June 1; he awaits a 14-year prison sentence for child rape in his home country of Brazil. He had been living in Somerville, Massachusetts, a sanctuary city.
“Convicted child predators like Brito Paixao cannot use the United States to hide and avoid serving prison time,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting field office director LaDeon Francis said in a press release. “This predator would still be posing a threat to the community were it not for the outstanding efforts of our officers and critical law enforcement partners in Brazil. This arrest gives me great pride in the team of dedicated ICE officers we have in Boston who are deeply committed to protecting our communities.”
Brito Paixao entered the country legally. He got into the United States on a non-immigrant B-2 visa (tourism). He was authorized to spend six months in New York before his visa expired. He remained in the country, but U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services granted him an extension in February 2019 — until March 14, 2019.
Somerville has been a sanctuary city since 1987, according to the city’s web site. However, the city’s policy is not absolute. In 2014, the city clarified that it would honor “criminal warrants” issued by ICE in certain instances. That includes people convicted of felonies punishable by imprisonment in state prison (including rape) — even if the felony was committed in a foreign country.
“ICE focuses its civil immigration enforcement priorities on the apprehension and removal of noncitizens who pose a threat to our national security, public safety, and border security,” the federal immigration enforcement agency said in its press release.
Brito Paixao is to be held in federal Enforcement and Removal Operations custody pending his removal and transfer to federal law enforcement authorities in Brazil, according to U.S. immigration authorities.
Brazilian law enforcement authorities had issued a warrant for his apprehension prior to his arrest here, according to ICE.
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