Dominican fugitive captured in Massachusetts charged with trafficking fentanyl, firearms, feds say
Julio Soto-Heredia, 44, who is also charged in Boston with fentanyl trafficking and possession of a firearm, was arrested on Sunday in Boston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said in a statement.
Officers with ICE Boston and with U.S. Customs and Border Protection made the arrest.
Soto-Heredia has been charged by Dominican authorities for firearms trafficking crimes in the Dominican Republic, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde said.
'Julio Soto-Heredia attempted to flee justice in the Dominican Republic by hiding out in Boston,' Hyde said. 'If that weren't bad enough, Soto-Heredia apparently illegally armed himself and attempted to peddle poison in our Massachusetts neighborhoods.'
'ICE Boston will not stand idly by while illegal alien offenders victimize the residents of our New England communities,' Hyde said. 'We will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing criminal alien offenders.'
Soto-Heredia remains in ICE custody.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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CNN
7 minutes ago
- CNN
‘The risk of going back is practically death': Haitian immigrants fear Trump's efforts to send them back to a country in crisis
At eight months pregnant, 28-year-old Haitian immigrant Titi is terrified of being deported to her native country. Titi, who asked to be identified only by a pseudonym out of fear of being targeted by immigration authorities, came to the United States with her younger sister in 2024 after fleeing widespread gang violence in Haiti that made even routine activities, such as walking to a supermarket, dangerous. The sisters entered the US using the CBP One app — a system launched in 2020 designed primarily for commercial truck drivers and other industry users and expanded in 2023 to allow asylum seekers to schedule appointments at the southern border before entering the country. In November 2024, Titi and her sister applied for additional relief under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which has allowed Haitian immigrants to live and work in the US since a massive earthquake struck Haiti in 2010. Titi said they are still awaiting a decision. President Donald Trump's administration has since revoked the legal status of migrants who entered the country through CBP One, The Associated Press reported in April. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has sought to terminate TPS for Haitians on August 3, with an effective date of September 2. 'This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protected Status is actually temporary,' a DHS spokesperson said in June. 'The environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home.' The Trump administration's efforts to end TPS for Haitian immigrants have left Titi and hundreds of thousands of others worried they may be forced to return to a country that isn't safe. 'There is no safety and security in Haiti right now,' Titi told CNN in her native Creole through a translator. 'Instead, I would say that the situation has gotten worse since I left.' Earlier this month, a federal judge in Brooklyn blocked the Trump administration's attempt to rescind former President Joe Biden's 18-month extension of Haiti's TPS designation, which is set to end on February 3, 2026. The federal judge ruled Noem 'does not have statutory or inherent authority to partially vacate a country's TPS designation.' The legal fight over TPS comes as the Trump administration intensifies its crackdown on undocumented immigrants, conducting mass deportations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across the country, including in farming fields and courthouses. The administration has also moved to restrict other protections. CNN reported last month that Trump planned to dismiss asylum claims for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, making them deportable. The Justice Department has also called for the denaturalization of legal immigrants who commit violent crimes or 'pose a potential danger to national security.' Haitian immigrant advocates welcomed the judge's ruling blocking the early end to TPS, but say they expect the administration to appeal. 'We are not out of the woods,' said Guerline Jozef, executive director of the nonprofit Haitian Bridge Alliance. 'We are not comfortable because we know of that possibility.' Jozef said more than 500,000 Haitian immigrants are currently living in the US under TPS, and forcing their return to Haiti would put them in grave danger, as much of the country is controlled by armed militias. Gangs have seized at least 85% of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. More than 5,600 people were killed in Haiti in 2024, and one million were left homeless because of the gang violence, according to The Associated Press. 'The risk of going back is practically death,' Jozef said. She believes the Trump administration's move to deport Haitian immigrants, despite listing the country under a Level 4 travel advisory, is a 'policy that is rooted in anti-Black racism and cruelty.' This is a 'ridiculous and false claim,' said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, adding it 'demonstrates a lack of even the most basic understanding of Temporary Protected Status – which is by definition, temporary.' Jackson said in a statement to CNN the 2010 earthquake, which allowed Haitians to receive TPS in the US, 'no longer poses a risk' to them. Haitian nationals, she said, can pursue legal status through other channels, such as asylum, if they are eligible. 'President Trump is keeping his promise to restore sanity to our immigration system and end the Biden Administration's exploitation of these temporary programs to encourage more illegal immigration,' Jackson said. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the DHS, said Haiti's TPS 'was never intended to be a de facto asylum program, yet that's how previous administrations have used it for decades.' The Department of State lists kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest and limited health care in Haiti as reasons for the travel advisory. 'Either Haiti is safe for everyone or it's not safe at all,' Jozef said. In Springfield, Ohio — which drew national attention during last year's presidential campaign when Trump falsely claimed Haitian immigrants were eating pets — anxiety over the potential loss of TPS is widespread. The community is home to about 15,000 Haitian immigrants, many of whom have TPS, said Carl Ruby, senior pastor of Central Christian Church. Ruby said thousands of Haitian immigrants moved to Springfield after word spread that it was a welcoming community with housing and jobs for their families. Meat and clothing factories, as well as Amazon fulfillment centers, have been popular employers for Haitian immigrants, local activists say. Ruby, who advocates for Haitian families, said there is a 'sense of limbo' in Springfield's Haitian community. 'They have bounced back and forth from being terrified to thinking it's going to be OK,' Ruby told CNN. Ruby said many Haitian immigrants are scrambling to apply for asylum and set up guardianship for their US-born children in case the parents get deported. Others are considering moving to other countries such as Canada. But returning to Haiti is not a safe option, Ruby said, adding that some families witnessed gruesome murders before fleeing the country. He also noted Haitians with certain chronic health conditions would not have access to life-saving medications in Haiti. 'Many Americans don't understand how serious the risk is,' Ruby said. 'I think there's a false impression that people come to the US because they want to benefit from our public services, but nothing could be further from the truth. They only came because their lives were in danger.' Viles Dorsainvil, co-founder and executive director of the Haitian Support Center in Springfield, said his organization helps Haitian immigrants transition into the community by assisting with job searches, housing applications, setting up utilities and providing legal advice. Haitian immigrants have made a positive impact on the local economy because most are dedicated workers in essential jobs, he said. Now, he said, they are living with 'fear, anxiety and uncertainty' with ICE raids and arrests occurring across the country and the Trump administration seeks to end TPS early. If the judge's ruling on the February end date for TPS stands without a successful appeal, Haitian migrants will have more time to make plans, Dorsainvil said. But if conditions in Haiti don't improve by next year, many immigrants will still face the same risks, he said. 'It should be a suicidal decision to go back to Haiti now,' Dorsainvil said. 'People living in Haiti now, they are not at peace.' Meanwhile, Titi says she is desperate to stay in the US, which she believes is much safer for raising her unborn child. Her sister was detained by ICE agents after an immigration court hearing in June and remains in custody, she said. Titi, who was studying to be a nurse before leaving Haiti, wants to learn English so she can get a job and earn an income in the US. She believes ICE hasn't come after her because she is pregnant. Once the baby is born, Titi said she doesn't know what she will do if there are no protections in place for Haitian immigrants. 'I have no escape plan,' Titi said. 'I don't have anywhere else to go.'
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Illegal immigrants storm US beaches as Coast Guard battles migrant surge that rose under Biden
The rise in illegal immigration that took place by boats under the Biden administration has created unique dangers for law enforcement, according to a border security expert. Maritime illegal immigration, using boats to enter the U.S. illegally, rose during the Biden administration as a result of the political and economic crises of Haiti and Cuba, according to the Migration Policy Institute. In February 2023, the U.S. Naval Institute said that illegal immigrant interdiction operations were in a "state of emergency" due to societal turmoil in Caribbean countries. Along the border between the U.S. and Mexico in California, illegal immigrants attempt to cross into America using boats as well. On July 12, the U.S. Coast Guard interdicted three people who were trying to enter the U.S. illegally by boat and were apprehended at Imperial Beach in San Diego County, California. Two individuals said they were Mexican, while one said they were Turkish. In January, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a boat carrying 21 illegal immigrants that was headed toward San Diego. Coast Guard officials and Border Protection officials apprehended the illegal immigrants, who were from various countries. "They don't want anyone to drown and die trying to cross into the U.S. Illegally…" "Initial interviews revealed that all individuals claimed Mexican nationality, although subsequent checks identified two passengers as Guatemalan and Salvadoran nationals," the Coast Guard wrote in a press release. California isn't close to the only state having to handle migrant incursions along its shores. In February, the Coast Guard intercepted 132 Haitians on a boat south of the Florida Keys. The Coast Guard boarded the 30-foot vessel and processed the illegal immigrants before they were repatriated to Haiti, according to officials. "The Coast Guard will continue to prioritize strengthening our domestic integrity and disrupting attempts to enter the United States illegally by sea," said Coast Guard District Seven enforcement officer Lt. Zane Carter. "We are steadfast in our mission to safeguard America by securing our maritime borders." Simon Hankinson, senior research fellow in the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that these interdictions create a unique danger for law enforcement authorities. "Well, I've seen a very different pattern, say, between the U.K. and France versus off the U.S. coast, where it seems to be a variety of, you know, if it's professional smugglers with really fast boats trying to bring people in and drop them off, then that's one thing for the Coast Guard to cope with," Hankinson said. "And if it is people organizing themselves in leaky boats with insufficient engines and overcrowded conditions, then it's a different thing. I think for the Coast Guard, for our law enforcement, that the issue of safety is obviously paramount." "They don't want anyone to drown and die trying to cross into the U.S. Illegally, even if they're not supposed to do it, but they're also probably worried about people carrying weapons who are trying to smuggle drugs and people in for money," he added. Hankinson said the U.S. should look at what's happening in the United Kingdom as a case study on what to avoid. The U.K. saw 19,982 cross the English Channel to enter the country in the first six months of 2025, according to Sky News. That figure is up almost 50% compared to the first six months of 2024. "You know, I was born in England. It's tragic what's happening there," he said. "You have a whole family of Palestinians who were allowed to stay, even though they'd applied under a program for Ukrainians. You know it's a sort of national suicide by generosity."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
They were freed from a ‘torture prison' in El Salvador. This is their life now
Dozens of Venezuelan men, locked up in immigration detention centers in the United States, were abruptly flown to El Salvador in the middle of the night, shackled and gang-walked to a brutal maximum-security prison, heads shaved, and stuffed into jail cells where they lived for more than five months. They weren't allowed to speak with families or lawyers. They never stepped foot outside. Now, after finally being returned last week to Venezuela by Donald Trump's administration, they reveal traumatizing ordeals and adjust to the whiplash of arriving back in a country where many still face significant threats. In a remarkable change in the US position, Trump officials have 'obtained assurances' from Venezuela that the men will be returned to the US to continue their immigration proceedings — marking a chaotic full circle that could land them right back in the American detention centers from where they were deported. Last week's prisoner exchange appeared to mark the end of a months-long legal battle, challenging the president's use of the Alien Enemies Act to summarily deport dozens of alleged members of Venezuela's notorious Tren de Aragua gang. Trump officials had labelled these men 'worst of the worst' criminals, and 'alien enemies', who committed 'warfare' on U.S. soil. Yet the swap has set them free in Venezuela, where President Nicolas Maduro's regime is threatening to expose conditions inside El Salvador's notorious jail. And the Trump administration could be forced to return many of those men to the U.S., with Venezuela's help. The Department of Justice declined to comment. The administration is still seeking to use the Alien Enemies Act as a tool to rapidly deport immigrants as part of the president's anti-immigration agenda. It will likely be up to the U.S. Supreme Court to decide if Trump can, or if the dozens of Venezuelan deportees will get their day in court. On Monday, the Venezuelan attorney general's office said it has opened an investigation into Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele for alleged mistreatment and human rights violations against Venezuelans detained in his prison. Video produced by the Venezuelan government includes testimony of men claiming they were shot with pellet guns, beaten, deprived of food, and under constant threat of violence inside CECOT. In his proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act in March, Trump stated that 'all Venezuelan citizens 14 years of age or older who are members of [Tren de Aragua], are within the United States, and are not actually naturalized or lawful permanent residents of the United States are liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien Enemies.' But government officials later admitted that 'many' of those men did not have criminal records, and many were in the country with legal permission and scheduled to appear in court on their asylum claims. A top judge in Washington D.C. had ordered the Trump administration to turn planes around on March 15 after learning in an emergency lawsuit that officials were flying men to El Salvador. The administration resisted, provoking an extraordinary legal battle in which Trump himself demanded the judge's impeachment. Now, after releasing those men back to Venezuela, administration officials have told federal courts handling Alien Enemies Act cases that they are prepared to return them. Last month, District Judge James Boasberg compared their ordeal to a Kafka-esque nightmare. 'Significant evidence has come to light indicating that many of those currently entombed in CECOT have no connection to the gang and thus languish in a foreign prison on flimsy, even frivolous, accusations,' Boasberg wrote. Among them was Andry Hernandez Romero, a gay makeup artist who sought asylum in the U.S. before he was arrested, placed in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, and accused of being a member of Tren de Aragua. He fled Venezuela for California in 2024, fearing persecution under Maduro's regime. He has no criminal history or gang ties, according to his family and attorneys. Romero lawfully entered California with an appointment through the CBP One app – a Joe Biden-era programme that allowed immigrants to make immigration appointments before reaching the U.S. – but was swiftly transferred to ICE custody, where officials labeled him a security risk because of his tattoos. A photojournalist captured some of the first images of deportees inside CECOT and witnessed a man identified as Romero crying out for help. In the months that followed, immigrant advocacy groups feared the worst. He is now in Venezuela. 'We have been fighting to free Andry, our other clients, and all the men from CECOT for more than four months,' according to Lindsay Toczylowski, president of Immigrant Defenders Law Center, which provided legal representation to his family. 'We are incredibly relieved that it appears most of them have been freed from the torture prison the U.S. government sent them to, and potentially may be reunited with family soon,' she said. 'But as an American, and as a lawyer who believes deeply in the rule of law and due process, my heart remains heavy.' Jerce Reyes Barrios, described by his attorneys as a professional soccer player and a youth soccer coach, fled Venezuela for the U.S. after he was arrested and 'tortured' by 'electric shocks and suffocation' for marching in demonstrations protesting Maduro, according to court documents. He registered with the CBP One app in Mexico for an appointment with an immigration officer last year, but was taken into ICE custody in San Diego, where he was accused of being a member of Tren de Aragua, largely based on his tattoos — which include a crown on a soccer ball, a tribute to his favorite club Real Madrid, according to a sworn statement from his attorney. Barrios is also expected to be among the Venezuelans freed from CECOT. Neri Alvarado was told by ICE officers that he was arrested in February for his tattoos — one of which is a rainbow-colored autism awareness ribbon with the name of his brother, who is autistic. His relatives watched him walk off a plane in Venezuela after his release from CECOT. An emotional video shows Ysqueibel Yonaiquer Penaloza Chirinos, another Venezuelan immigrant who entered the United States legally with the CBP One app, returning to his family after his release. 'We spent four months without any contact with the outside world,' Arturo Suarez told Venezuelan broadcaster teleSUR following his release. 'We were kidnapped … We got a beating for breakfast. We got a beating for lunch. We got a beating for dinner.' Court hearings in the coming weeks are expected to revisit those legal challenges now that the men are no longer in CECOT. In another Alien Enemies Act case, the Trump administration says it has 'obtained assurances' from Maduro's government that it will cooperate with court orders for Venezuelan citizens to return to the United States, if required. 'The Maduro regime will not impose obstacles to the individual's travel,' ICE official Mellissa Harper said in a sworn statement to Maryland District Judge Stephanie Gallagher on July 18. In that case, a wrongfully deported Venezuelan man identified in court documents as 'Cristian' will be returned to the United States to continue his immigration proceedings, 'should he wish to return.' The statement is a remarkable change in the government's position. In April, Gallagher ordered the government to 'facilitate' his release from El Salvador. But when ordered to cough up a status report about his condition, government attorneys essentially only told the court 'we haven't done anything and don't intend to,' Gallagher wrote in court documents. What happens next in potentially dozens of cases depends on dozens of individual and overlapping decisions after months of chaos. Some Venezuelans will file individual lawsuits or seek relief through the current legal cases winding their way through the courts, while 'others may have no desire or pathway to return to the United States, yet may still seek to pursue litigation to hold the Trump administration accountable for what they did,' according to American Immigration Council senior fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick. Others may fear reprisals from Maduro's regime. 'While the ultimate outcome of these cases is unknown, at least the men are free for now,' according to Reichlin-Melnick. 'As their stories of what happened in El Salvador become public, pressure will hopefully build for international accountability.' Solve the daily Crossword
