ICE nabs illegal immigrant wanted for allegedly sexually assaulting minor, in Mass.

An illegal immigrant from El Salvador wanted for allegedly sexually assaulting a child has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Service (ICE) in Massachusettsafter the local sheriff’s office ignored the detainer to hold him.

ICE said its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Boston arrested 55-year-old Hugo Israel Ruiz on Dec. 17 on charges of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, adding that he remains in custody pending immigration and criminal proceedings.

Ruiz was arrested by the Revere Police Department on August 22 and his arraignment was held in Chelsea District Court.

The court allowed Ruiz to be released from Nashua Street Jail on bail, despite immigration detention requesting that ICE be notified of his release.

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But the sheriff’s office that runs the jail ignored the detainer, releasing Ruiz into the public without notifying ICE.

“ERO Boston will take every opportunity to identify, locate and apprehend criminal non-citizens facing felony charges and detain them until their criminal and immigration proceedings are resolved,” said ERO Boston Acting Director Patricia H. Hyde. “Not only is this our mission, it’s the legal thing to do.”

In October 2019, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department terminated its contract with ICE and instead decided to divert resources due to the increasing number of women entering the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, according to a statement from Sheriff Steve Thompkins at the time.

“We are ending our contract with ICE to refocus our resources on helping local women address the lingering issues that have contributed to their involvement in the criminal justice system,” Tompkins said in a statement. “Our gender-specific program, which is among the best in the country, allows us to address these issues, which include domestic violence, sexual exploitation and substance abuse disorders, to name a few.”

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The statement, which appears on his campaign website, said the contract with ICE to house federal immigration detainees was first signed in 2003. The then-acting director of ICE ERO Boston said the agency was disappointed by the sheriff’s decision after shared a “mutually beneficial” partnership for more than a decade.

The latest arrest comes after Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said her state police would “absolutely not” cooperate with the new Trump administration’s expected mass deportation efforts, warning they would use “every tool in the toolbox” for the “protection” of residents in the blue state.

President-elect Trump has vowed to launch “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history” to deport millions of illegal immigrants. One report by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) estimates that 50,000 migrants have arrived in the country since 2021.

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“I think it’s important for all of us to understand that there’s going to be a lot of pressure on states and state officials. I can assure you that we’re going to work hard on that,” Healey said after President-elect Trump’s resounding election victory last month.

Last year, Healey announced a state of emergency in the state due to the increase and called for federal action. She also admitted that state policies can attract migrants.

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“Many of these families are migrants to Massachusetts, drawn here because we are and have proudly been a beacon to those in need,” she wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.