A Haitian immigrant facing several charges was released at US border last year. The undocumented immigrant was charged with drug and weapons crimes in Massachusetts.
The Haitian national is charged with conspiracy to violate drug laws, drug distribution, drug manufacturing and unlawfully carrying a dangerous weapon.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Boston division announced that they had taken Gasnoy Saintilme into custody on Aug. 26 2024 at the Worcester District Court.
ICE said Border Patrol encountered Saintilme in February 2023 after entering the U.S. illegally. He was given a notice to appear before an immigration judge and was released on parole, the agency said in a statement.
Haitian immigrant facing several charges
Released at US border last year
He was arrested in Worcester on March 7 on conspiracy to violate drug laws, but was released on his own recognizance, before being arrested again in April on weapons and drugs charges.
After ICE issued a detainer – a request to local authorities that they be alerted to a potential release so they can take a suspected illegal immigrant into custody – the sheriff’s office notified them when he posted bail.
“Gasnoy Saintilme unlawfully entered the United States and has now been charged with conspiracy, weapons charges and attempting to manufacture and distribute poison in our Massachusetts communities. We are beyond pleased that our partners at the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office honored our immigration detainer and transferred custody of Saintilme to ERO officers. The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office remains a valued ally in our fight to prioritize public safety in our Massachusetts neighborhoods. ERO Boston will continue our efforts to arrest and remove egregious noncitizen offenders from New England.” ICE Enforcement and Removals Operation Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons said in a statement.
Ohio dad tells Trump to stop using son’s death for ‘political gain’
Haitian migration into the U.S. a top political issue
The announcement of Saintilme’s arrest comes as Haitian migration into the U.S. remains a top political issue. This week, former President Trump brought up alleged issues that the town of Springfield, Ohio, is having with Haitian migrants – suggesting that the immigrants were eating cats and dogs. He again repeated this on the presidential debate.
Ohio has seen a surge in Haitian immigrant arrivals in recent years.
Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, added to the controversy on Tuesday by mentioning Aiden in a post on Twitter/X, falsely claiming that “a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant.”
Aiden Clark, 11, tragically died in an August 2023 bus crash in Springfield, Ohio, a town now thrust into the spotlight due to misleading claims from Trump’s campaign.
DeWine also announced he’ll be funneling resources
Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine also announced he’ll be funneling resources to help ease the influx of the approximately 20,000 Haitian migrants that have arrived in the city of Springfield legally under the Biden-Harris administration. But has beed criticised by locals for not doing enough to support the immigrants and the locals, to adjust to American life.
“As these numbers dramatically pick up, there’s some obligation for the federal government to help local communities who had nothing to do with the decision about people coming in, but now find themselves with a massive number of people,” DeWine said Tuesday.
Immigrants are fair game for politicians as they do not have a vote, and humanitarian organisations have criticised politicians for politicising the issue and endangering the lives of thousands of immigrants.