In a rare case, a Massachusetts police department honored an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer request for a Brazilian illegal alien accused of rape. 21-year-old Willian Robert Vasconcelos-Dos Santos was apprehended by ICE after being charged with raping a Massachusetts resident last month.
ICE praised the Falmouth District Court for honoring the detainer request, allowing Vasconcelos-Dos Santos to be taken into custody. He had initially entered the U.S. illegally in April 2024 and was arrested again by the Falmouth Police Department in January 2025 for the rape charge.
Despite Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey previously stating that her state would not cooperate with mass deportation efforts, ICE successfully lodged an immigration detainer against Vasconcelos-Dos Santos, who remains in ICE custody.
The case highlights the ongoing debate over immigration enforcement policies in Massachusetts, with Gov. Healey acknowledging that the state is not a sanctuary state. Additionally, Attorney General Andrea Campbell continues to oppose the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
The arrest of Vasconcelos-Dos Santos comes amid heightened efforts by ICE to remove illegal immigrants from communities in New England. The case serves as a reminder of the complex and contentious issues surrounding immigration enforcement in the United States.
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