News Americas, New York, NY, Feb. 6, 2025: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (ICE), has apprehended two more Caribbean nationals in Massachusetts, including a Haitian man accused of assault and a Dominican national previously convicted of murder.
ICE officers arrested Jean Yves Ovilme, a 37-year-old Haitian national, on January 22 in Boston. Ovilme, who legally entered the United States on November 10, 2023, via Fort Lauderdale, Florida, later violated the terms of his lawful admission. He was charged in West Roxbury District Court on November 20, 2024, with indecent assault and battery on a person aged 14 or older, as well as assault and battery. ICE issued an immigration detainer the same day. However, Massachusetts authorities ignored the detainer and released Ovilme on January 3, 2025. He is now in ICE custody pending further proceedings.
Meanwhile, ICE officers also arrested Cesar Augusto Polanco, a 59-year-old Dominican national, on January 24 at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Norfolk after his release from state custody. Polanco, who legally entered the U.S. at John F. Kennedy International Airport on March 18, 1990, was convicted of murder on March 8, 2007, and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Despite receiving an order of removal to the Dominican Republic on June 25, 2014, he remained in state custody until his recent release. The Massachusetts Correctional Institution honored ICE’s immigration detainer, allowing a smooth transfer of custody.
Acting ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde emphasized the agency’s commitment to prioritizing public safety by removing individuals who pose threats to communities. “We will not allow our communities to be subjected to the danger posed by violent alien offenders,” Hyde stated.
Both individuals remain in ICE custody as they await further legal proceedings.
