ICE apprehends Salvadoran man convicted of possessing child pornography in CT

A man wanted on an immigration detainer after being convicted in Connecticut of possessing child pornography was apprehended by ICE in Bridgeport.

Federal immigration officials apprehended a Salvadoran national — who lost his right to live in the U.S. when he was convicted of possessing child pornography — in Connecticut, authorities said.

The 26-year-old man, who has not been identified, was taken into custody on Jan. 26 in Bridgeport by authorities with Enforcement and Removal Operations from the Boston Field Office, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“This unlawfully present sex offender has already proven to be a substantial threat to the children of our Connecticut communities,” ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons said in a statement.

“Our dedicated officers remain committed to providing safe neighborhoods to all of our New England residents, particularly the children,” Lyons continued. “ERO Boston will continue to aggressively apprehend and remove any unlawfully present individual who presents such a hazard.”

According to ICE, the 26-year-old Salvadoran national legally entered the country in September 2009 in Houston, Texas.

Nearly a decade later, in February 2019, the man was arrested by members of the Norwalk Police Department and charged with second-degree possession of child pornography, ICE said.

The Salvadoran national was later convicted of the charge and sentenced to 10 years in prison, suspended after service of two years, and 20 years of probation, according to immigration officials. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

“The conviction negated his legal right to reside in the United States,” ICE said.

According to ICE, ERO Boston lodged an immigration detainer against him with the Connecticut Department of Corrections in November 2021. However, in February 2022, the DOC refused to honor the detainer and released him from custody, ICE said.

The 26-year-old has been in custody since his apprehension last month and will be held pending his removal proceedings, according to ICE.

His apprehension represents one of five arrests that ERO Boston made as part of a recent national immigration enforcement effort, ICE said.

During the effort — which spanned from Jan. 16 to Jan. 28 — deportation officers from ICE ERO field offices across the country have apprehended 171 unlawfully present noncitizens with pending charges or convictions for “egregious crimes such as homicide, rape, assault or sexual assaults against children,” according to ICE.