HYANNIS — A Brazilian foreign fugitive convicted of drug trafficking in his home country has been pulled off the streets of Cape Cod by federal immigration agents, ICE Boston announced Thursday.
Jose Paula De Souza Neto, who Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials describe as an illegal alien wanted on outstanding warrants in Brazil, was arrested June 10 during ICE operations in Hyannis.
On June 10, ICE Boston arrested Jose Paula De Souza Neto, an illegal alien and foreign fugitive from Brazil, during operations in Hyannis, MA.— ICE Boston (@EROBoston) June 11, 2026Authorities in Brazil issued an arrest warrant for Neto after his conviction for drug trafficking and association for drug trafficking.
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Brazilian authorities had issued the warrant after Neto was convicted there of drug trafficking and association for drug trafficking — two separate charges under Brazil's drug laws.
A broader enforcement push
ICE Boston used the arrest to highlight what officials say is a broader trend in illegal immigration enforcement.
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— ICE Boston (@EROBoston) June 11, 2026The reality is that nearly 70% of illegal aliens DHS has arrested across the country have criminal convictions or pending criminal charges just in the U.S. This statistic doesn't account for those wanted for violent crimes in their home country or another country.
The figure underscores ICE Boston's argument that foreign nationals like Neto — wanted abroad on serious convictions but uncounted in domestic crime tallies — represent a separate enforcement priority for the agency's Enforcement and Removal Operations team.
Neto is now in ICE custody.
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