ICE arrested a Brazilian fugitive convicted of aggravated murder in Massachusetts just two days before Gov. Maura Healey signed new limits on the agency’s operations.
Maycon Souto Dos Reis, 54, was convicted of aggravated murder in Brazil on Sept. 14, 2024, and sentenced to 14 years and three months in prison when Brazilian authorities issued an arrest warrant. The Brazilian national fled his home country and crossed the US-Mexico border illegally in June 2024, when he was apprehended but subsequently released into the United States, according to ICE.
“This is yet another example of what the media often characterizes as a non-criminal, when in reality, many of these individuals are murderers, sexual predators, gang members and more: They simply do not have a criminal record in the United States,” Acting ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston Field Office Director David Wesling wrote in a statement.
“We will continue to pursue these dangerous criminal aliens that sanctuary politicians fight to protect.”
The timing of the Aug. 3 Boston-area arrest corresponded to Healey’s Aug. 5 signing of the PROTECT Act, which keeps ICE out of courthouses, schools, childcare centers, hospitals and healthcare facilities, while also providing stronger protections for parents in case they are detained or deported, banning new 287(g) agreements and allowing civil rights claims to be made against government officials, including ICE agents.
“The PROTECT Act is the strongest law in the country to protect people from ICE, because no one should be afraid to send their child to school, seek medical care or fear reporting a crime or appearing in court,” Healey wrote Aug. 5 in a statement announcing the signing of the new restrictions on ICE operations in her state.
“It makes us all less safe. So we are getting ICE out of our courthouses, schools and hospitals. This bill is a testament to the hard work and advocacy of so many people across our state. We’re going to keep working together to make Massachusetts and this country the place we all want it to be.”
Dos Reis initially came to ERO Boston’s attention following his May 29 arrest for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in Southborough, Massachusetts.
ICE officers arrested him Aug. 3 during a targeted operation at Westborough District Court in Westborough.
ICE officials said Dos Reis had been living in Massachusetts, which has been at the center of clashes between state and federal officials over immigration enforcement. The agency characterized the jurisdiction as one where local policies can complicate federal efforts to locate and arrest immigration offenders.
ICE did not provide additional details about the aggravated murder case in Brazil, including when the killing occurred or the circumstances surrounding Dos Reis’ conviction.
He remains in ICE custody pending the outcome of deportation proceedings, the agency said.
“DHS’s message is clear: If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will find you, arrest you, and you will never return,” ICE wrote in a release Monday, hailing President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s actions to protect legal American citizens.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States.”
In the viral moment that put Massachusetts immigration politics back in the national spotlight, the arrest of Dos Reis at Westborough District Court came just 48 hours before Healey’s high-profile signing ceremony for the PROTECT Act. The legislation represented a direct counter to the Trump administration’s expanded deportation push, with Massachusetts joining a handful of states that have moved to restrict where federal immigration agents can operate. The timing highlighted the sharp divide between state Democratic leadership and federal enforcement priorities, as both sides sought to claim the upper hand in messaging around public safety.
The arrest also came amid a broader surge in ICE operations nationwide. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that DHS data showed 10,000 arrests over a five-day period, with 70% of those taken into custody having either been convicted of a crime in the United States or facing criminal charges. The administration has pushed for an average of 2,000 arrests per day, according to reports, as part of Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.