CHELSEA, Mass. — ICE officers have arrested a Guatemalan national charged with assaulting a police officer in Massachusetts, federal immigration authorities said.
Luis Javier Chavez-Galiego, 20, who is in the U.S. illegally, was arrested by ICE officers in Chelsea on Feb. 8, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said in a statement on Friday. He remains in federal custody.
His arrest came after the Chelsea District Court refused to honor a detainer lodged against Chavez-Galiego on Feb. 5, after his arrest in September for assaulting a police officer, and released him from custody, ICE officials said.
“Luis Javier Chavez-Galiego illegally came to this country and apparently assaulted members of our Massachusetts community to include an officer of the law,” ICE Boston Enforcement and Removal Operations acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde said in a statement.
Chavez-Galiego “represents a threat to our community that ICE Boston will not tolerate. We will continue to prioritize the safety of our public by arresting and removing criminal alien offenders,” Hyde said.
Court officials do not have the authority to hold an individual in custody solely on the basis of a Federal Civil Immigration Detainer, Jennifer Donahue, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Trial Courts, said in a statement to Boston 25 on Monday.
“In order to comply with Massachusetts law, court officers are prohibited from assisting or interfering with ICE agents in executing their obligations under Federal law,” Donahue said.
“That means that a court officer will not interfere with ICE arresting an individual who has been released,” Donahue said. “On the other hand, court officers are prohibited from keeping a released individual in custody awaiting an ICE agent.”
Chavez-Galiego was arraigned on Sept. 20, 2024 in Chelsea District Court for two counts of assault and battery on a police officer and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
On Feb. 5, the Chelsea District Court arraigned Chavez-Galiego for default warrants, two counts of assault and battery on a police officer and three counts of assault and battery dangerous weapon – shod foot.
U.S. Border Patrol arrested Chavez-Galiego after he illegally entered the United States near El Paso, Texas on Feb. 24, 2019. Border Patrol served him with a notice to appear before a Justice Department immigration judge.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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