A Brazilian child rapist evaded justice by entering the U.S., only to be released by DHS—raising alarms over immigration enforcement under the Biden administration.
A Brazilian child rapist who fled to the United States was released into the country by the Biden administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS), sparking outrage over federal immigration policies.
Alexandre Romao De Oliveira, 41, was convicted in February 2022 in Brazil for raping a child and sentenced to 14 years in prison. Instead of serving his sentence, De Oliveira fled to the United States, crossing the U.S.-Mexico border near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, in April 2022.
Federal officials detained De Oliveira but released him into the U.S. interior shortly after, issuing him a Notice to Appear (NTA) in immigration court scheduled for years into the future. For more than two years, De Oliveira remained in the U.S. before Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested him in Methuen, Massachusetts, earlier this month.
ICE is now preparing to hand De Oliveira over to Brazilian authorities, where he will serve his sentence.
“Alexandre Romao De Oliveira is a convicted child rapist who fled his home country to evade justice,” said Patricia Hyde, an ICE official, in a statement. “Enhancing public safety starts with cooperation between law enforcement partners. Bringing this fugitive to justice is a direct result of the collaboration between ERO Boston, the ICE attaché offices around the globe, and our foreign law enforcement counterparts.”
The incident underscores concerns over the Biden administration's handling of border security and immigration enforcement. Critics have slammed the release of De Oliveira, arguing it highlights systemic failures that allow dangerous individuals to remain in the United States.
As ICE works to repatriate De Oliveira, the case raises pressing questions about the screening and accountability measures applied to migrants entering the country under current policies.
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