BOSTON,United States (CMC) - The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency says its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Boston, Massachusetts, has arrested a Jamaican on immigration breaches who is facing rape and other sexual assault charges in Mashpee, Massachusetts.

"This unlawfully present Jamaican national posed a significant threat to the public safety of our community," said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M Lyons. "When someone who has violated immigration law and has been deemed a public safety threat, ERO Boston will apprehend that person and seek to have them removed.

"Our commitment to enforcing immigration law and protecting our residents is paramount to our mission. We will not fail in carrying out that mission," he added.

ICE said the 52-year-old citizen of Jamaica, who has been unlawfully present in the United States for more than two years, was arrested by local police on two counts of rape and one count of assault to rape. He was arraigned in the Falmouth District Court in Falmouth, Massachusetts, on October 27, ICE said.

It said the Jamaican was originally admitted to the US under a visitor immigration visa in July 2020, but he failed to abide by the conditions of his visa and remained more than two years beyond its expiration.

Following his arraignment on the rape and assault charges at Falmouth District Court, ICE said ERO Boston issued an immigration detainer with the court seeking his custody.

Despite the existence of the immigration detainer, ICE said the Jamaican man was released from a Barnstable, Massachusetts, correctional facility on October 31.

He was arrested by ERO Boston officers without incident on November 7 and will remain in ICE custody pending removal from the United States.

In fiscal year 2022, ICE said ERO arrested 46,396 non-citizens with criminal histories.

This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offences; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offences; 5,554 weapons offences; 1,501 homicide-related offences; and 1,114 kidnapping offences.