Editorial: Helping rape suspects evade ICE arrest nothing to be proud of

What goes through the minds of sanctuary city residents when they learn their ICE resistance efforts result in assault and child rape suspects walking free?

That’s a question especially pertinent to Somerville and Salem, two sanctuary zones that were recently slammed by Boston immigration officials for ignoring immigration detainers.

Does the anti-ICE agenda override concern for public safety?

As the Herald reported, the suspects in the latest episode of skating around ICE were a Turkish national who had been arraigned in late December for assault and battery on an intellectually disabled person and witness intimidation. He was set free until ICE nabbed him in Somerville late last month.

A Guatemalan national living in Framingham was charged with three counts of forcible rape of a child and three counts of aggravated rape of a child. He was let out of Salem’s Essex County jail in 2022. That is, until he was tracked down by immigration officers.

How is letting child rape suspects walk a win?

“This is a tragic example of what can go wrong when local jurisdictions refuse to honor immigration detainers,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde said of the Somerville arrest.

According to the Sex Offender Registry Board, both Salem and Somerville are home to registered sex offenders. Parents looking for neighborhoods in which their children can feel safe can search the database for names and addresses.

It’s a good bet parents would like to know if individuals charged with child rape were allowed to evade ICE detainers and remain in their community.

Hyde said that the man set free in Salem “has been charged with some horrific crimes against a minor in our commonwealth.” Where are sanctuary cities’ concerns for those victims?

Both suspects were in this country illegally, which, in the eyes of sanctuary cities, makes them a protected class.

The Somerville City Council reaffirmed its commitment as a sanctuary city in November.

“The City of Somerville has a proud, longstanding history of welcoming and supporting generations of immigrants,” reads the resolution that Somerville city councilors approved, “and has continually upheld values of equity, inclusion, and support for all community members.”

Including victims of crimes committed by those here illegally? Or are they collateral damage in the bid to thwart immigration laws? What would these proud havens say to the children assaulted by such men?

Salem and Somerville are hardly alone. Sanctuary cities around Massachusetts turn a blind eye as illegal immigrants are charged with fentanyl trafficking, murder and rape. Now, under Donald Trump’s “worst first” deportation policy, they’re being shown the door.

Instead of recognizing that these ICE arrests mean less fentanyl hitting the streets and children unmolested, they insist on painting immigration agents as the bad guys.

Taking steps to ensure that alleged child rapists can stay in this country is nothing to be proud of.