Mass. jail ignored detainer and released Dominican national charged with armed robbery, ICE says
A Massachusetts jail ignored an immigration detainer and released a Dominican national charged with masked armed robbery back into the community, federal officials said Wednesday.
Emerson Esteban Arias-Polanco, 27, of the Dominican Republic who is in the United States illegally, was arrested by federal officers in Boston on March 20, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement.
Officers with ICE Boston and agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the arrest. Arias-Polanco remains in ICE custody.
'Emerson Esteban Arias-Polanco illegally entered the United States and apparently decided to commit an armed robbery while wearing a mask,' ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde said in a statement. 'He clearly represents a threat to our Massachusetts residents.'
'It is regrettable that the Norfolk County House of Corrections decided to ignore our immigration detainer and released Arias-Polanco back into the community,' Hyde said. 'ICE Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing alien offenders from the streets of New England.'
Boston 25 has reached out to the Norfolk County Sheriff's Office for comment on the matter.
A spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Correction referred Boston 25 to the Norfolk County Sheriff's Office, saying the Norfolk County House of Correction is not run by the DOC.
When reached Wednesday afternoon, Westwood attorney Paul Marino, who is representing Arias-Polanco, declined to comment on the case.
Dedham Police officers arrested Arias-Polanco on Nov. 30, 2023 and charged him with armed robbery — masked, Hyde said.
On May 3, 2024, his case was elevated to Norfolk County Superior Court, and he was indicted for the charge.
According to the indictment, on Nov. 20, 2023, Arias-Polanco, who was living in Boston at the time, was masked and armed with a knife when he allegedly assaulted a man in Dedham and robbed him of $280 in cash and personal property.
ICE Boston lodged an immigration detainer against Arias-Polanco with the Norfolk County House of Corrections on Jan. 5, 2025. However, Hyde said the detention facility 'refused to honor the ICE detainer and released Arias-Polanco from custody.'
Arias-Polanco illegally entered the United States on an unknown date, at an unknown location, without being inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration official, Hyde said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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