BROCKTON — Federal immigration agents arrested an Ecuadorian national in Brockton this week whose criminal history includes the rape of a child with force, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE Boston announced that officers arrested Angleo Sisalema-Yancha on December 9 during operations in Brockton. The agency identified Sisalema-Yancha as a “criminal alien from Ecuador.”
According to ICE, Sisalema-Yancha’s criminal record includes rape of a child with force and operating a motor vehicle under the influence.
Photos released by ICE show Sisalema-Yancha handcuffed and surrounded by federal agents as he was taken into custody.
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“ICE Boston will continue to tirelessly pursue the worst of the worst to keep New England safe,” the agency wrote in its public statement.
On Dec. 9, ICE Boston arrested Angleo Sisalema-Yancha, a criminal alien from Ecuador, during operations in Brockton, Massachusetts. Sisalema-Yancha’s criminal history includes rape of a child with force and operating a motor vehicle under the influence. pic.twitter.com/stfRexSPtw
— ICE Boston (@EROBoston) December 29, 2025
The arrest comes as Massachusetts remains one of the most restrictive states in the country when it comes to cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Under current law and court rulings, police departments are largely barred from holding individuals on ICE detainers once state charges are resolved.
As a result, federal agents often carry out arrests directly in communities rather than inside jails — a practice ICE has repeatedly said is less safe and more resource-intensive.
ICE did not release additional details about how long Sisalema-Yancha had been in the United States or when his convictions occurred, but confirmed that his criminal history prompted enforcement action once he was located.
The Brockton arrest adds to a growing list of cases highlighted by federal authorities involving serious violent offenders apprehended in Massachusetts despite the state’s refusal to cooperate with immigration enforcement.
ICE says its operations will continue.
State leaders, meanwhile, have shown no sign of changing course.