The ritzy Massachusetts island of Nantucket has been rocked after an illegal migrant was arrested over his 'detestable and disturbing rape' of a child.
Bryan Daniel Aldana-Arevalo, 28, a Salvadorian national, was taken into custody on September 10 over an alleged incident that occurred on July 11 involving a 12-year-old, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Boston Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office announced Monday.
He faces one count of rape of a child with a 10-year age difference and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, according to the agency.
Aldana-Arevalo pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on July 26 and was held in custody on a $20,000 bail. On July 29 he was released after bail was posted.
'Bryan Daniel Aldana-Arevalo stands accused of some detestable and disturbing crimes against a Nantucket child,' ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons said.
This comes just months after two men were charged with the murder Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, who was found dead floating in a creak near her Houston home in June.
Nungaray made national headlines and has been at the forefront of the Presidential debate as it was later revealed that the two Venezuelan migrants, Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, and Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, were released into the country despite being intercepted by border agents.
Both men were charged with capital murder and in July it was confirmed that Nungaray was raped before being murdered by the two illegal immigrants, police said.
They are accused of luring the girl underneath a bridge where they stayed with her for two hours before the men emerged alone.
Her body was found the next morning after she had been strangled, bound and thrown in a bayou. She was naked from the waist down.
Last Tuesday, Aldana-Arevalo was served with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge and remains in custody as of Monday morning, officials said.
On July 11, the Nantucket Police Department was contacted by the NYPD after a mother took her 12-year-old child to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn and reported a sexual assault, Nantucket Current reported.
The incident allegedly occurred while the mother and daughter visited family in Nantucket.
A social worker then contacted NYPD detectives about the assault before the Nantucket Police Department interviewed the minor about the incident involving Aldana-Arevalo - a relative of the child, according to the outlet.
'He represents a significant danger to the children of our Massachusetts communities. ERO Boston will not tolerate such a threat to the most vulnerable of our population,' Lyons said of Aldana-Arevalo.
'We will continue to prioritize the safety of our public by arresting and removing egregious noncitizen offenders from our New England neighborhoods.'
The illegal migrant 'unlawfully entered the U.S. on an unknown date, at an unknown location' and was not 'inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration official,' according to the agency.
His attorney, Rob Moriarty, argued for a $2,500 bail for Aldana-Arevalo, stating that was what his client 'could afford,' the outlet reported.
Moriarty added that Aldana-Arevalo, who has lived on the island for three years, should not face bail because he remained in Nantucket during the investigation.
'The purpose of the bail is not to punish the defendant but to ensure his appearance in court,' Moriarty stated.
Nantucket District Court Judge James Sullivan concluded that due to the severity of the charges, the $20,000 cash bail would remain but could be revised in court on a later date, according to Nantucket Current.
A second illegal migrant was arrested by ICE agents on September 11 on the small island and was identified Tuesday as Gean Do Amaral Belafronte, 31.
Belafronte was charged with indecent assault and battery on a person 14 years or older, ERO Boston said.
The alleged incident occurred on April 13, 2021 and according to the police report, obtained by Nantucket Current, Belefronte allegedly approached the victim, grabbed her, pushed her to the ground and climbed on top of her.
During the alleged assault, he told the female victim 'I will rape you,' while 'he licked her lips.'
An arraignment for Belafronte was scheduled for June 9, but he never showed.
Because of that, the Nantucket District Court issued a default warrant for his arrest which saw him arrested again. He was released on bail later that day.
The Brazilian national lawfully entered the U.S. on October 8, 2018, but after violating the terms of his admission he 'voluntarily departed' the country on April 18, 2021 - five days after the alleged incident took place, the agency reported.
On an unknown date and location, 'without being inspected, admitted or paroled' by an ICE official, Belafronte re-entered the U.S.
On March 12, 2024 he was arrested again and at 3pm that day he was arraigned on the indecent assault and battery charge. Belafronte was then released on $500 cash bail.
