A teen accused of trafficking a minor in Providence was ‘set-up' by other people, her attorneys say. Now, she may be deported.
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'The charges on their face look serious,' MacDonald told the Globe. 'In reality, based upon the evidence that I have viewed, this is an extremely weak case that I have no doubt ... in court with evidence and cross examination, we could substantially destroy it. But there's no hearing, and there's no procedure while she's being detained out of state.'
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'And that's been the problem with ICE these days: They're picking up people, detaining them out of state, and what happens to the criminal cases are you simply have no ability to contest the evidence, and warrants issue,' he continued. 'So not only do the charges linger, but the warrants linger, and therefore there's an inability to ever legally come back into the United States.'
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Soriano-Neto was taken into ICE custody on March 11, the agency said in
'Children are among the most vulnerable members of society and anyone who would do them harm represents a significant threat to our community,' ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde said in a statement.
According to a Providence police arrest report, on Jan. 14, officers met with the parents of a girl – whose name was redacted in the report – who said their daughter told them she was sexually assaulted by four men in Providence.
The girl told authorities that on Jan. 8, she received a call around 8 a.m. from a friend, who was identified as Soriano-Neto, who told her to meet her on Atwells Avenue and that she was going to a party. The girl said she then left Mount Pleasant High School, met Soriano-Neto, and drove with her to a house on Concannon Street, where she was met by three men, the report states.
Soriano-Neto 'asked her to make sure she gives them food and make sure she gets money from the three male subjects as well,' police wrote. The girl said she was able to get $100 cash from the men, which she gave to Soriano-Neto, according to the report.
Soriano-Neto then left the house, leaving the girl by herself, police wrote. At around 2 p.m., four different men came to the house, police wrote.
Details about what allegedly happened were redacted from the report: The men 'came into the house and began to [redacted], however they did not have [redacted] with her,' the report states.
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The girl said she was able to defend herself and run away from them, according to police. As she was fleeing, someone she knew saw her and 'was able to help her,' the report states.
That person brought her to a friend's house on Broad Street, where the girl spent the next three days before she was brought home on Jan. 11, according to police. The girl had been reported missing by her parents from Jan. 8 to 11, authorities wrote.
According to the report, Soriano-Neto was arrested by Providence police on Feb. 20. ICE officials said she was charged with indecent solicitation of a child and trafficking of a minor.
Court records show Soriano-Neto posted a $35,000 bond on Feb. 21.
Another person, Saul Adalid Izaguirre Pavon, was also arrested in connection to the case on March 22, records show.
MacDonald said Soriano-Neto is not a human trafficker.
'These people from high school that were supposedly her friends were apparently hooking up with men and getting cash for it, and when word got out, they pointed the finger – at least one of them did – at Vivian ... without any proof whatsoever other than their word," MacDonald said.
In the report, police wrote, 'It should be noted that [redacted name]'s statement was vague and inconsistent.'
MacDonald has asked the state Attorney General's Office to take a close look at the case.
Salazar Tohme said felony cases typically have at least a six-month review in state court, but Soriano-Neto has not been afforded that since she was detained by ICE so quickly.
Salzar Tohme is now seeking asylum status for Soriano-Neto, who already has an approved Special Immigrant Juvenile petition, but is still waiting for a visa number, she said.
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Immigrants are eligible for SIJ status they have 'have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent,' according to
'We're put in this position where a child is essentially going to be sent back to her country, and she didn't get her day in state court, and I think that is a grave injustice,' Salzar Tohme said.
She added, 'The more that this happens, the more that we need to realize that the system is completely broken and individualized cases need to be looked at more carefully.'
ICE officials said Soriano-Neto was arrested on Oct. 25, 2017 after she unlawfully entered the United States at Calexico, Calif. and was later released on parole by ICE on Nov. 17, 2017. She would have been around 10 years old at the time.
ICE did not respond to requests seeking more information.
The Rhode Island US Attorney's Office also announced developments in two immigration-related cases on Thursday.
Officials
Prosecutors said Alvarado was previously deported in July 2015 after he was convicted in Connecticut on cocaine and heroin trafficking charges. But immigration officers learned he was back in the country last month when his fingerprints matched in the National Crime Information Center after he was arrested in Rhode Island for allegedly driving on a suspended license and on an obstruction charge, officials said.
Alvarado is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25.
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Prosecutors also
Perez was previously convicted in Rhode Island state court in December 2023 on charges of simple assault and/or battery and disorderly conduct, officials said. He was removed from the country by ICE on Nov. 20, 2024.
But on May 12, immigration officers learned he was in the United States when his fingerprints matched in the crime information center after he was arrested on May 11 in Rhode Island for domestic disorderly conduct and for allegedly violating a domestic no contact order, officials said.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on June 2 and is being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions on the state-level charges, prosecutors said.
Christopher Gavin can be reached at
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