A Haitian migrant accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in a Massachusetts hotel was released on $500 bail last week, despite persistent demands from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release him into their custody.
Cory Alvarez, a 26-year-old Haitian national who was granted parole under a controversial parole program that allows up to 30,000 migrants to enter the United States each month, was charged in March with aggravated rape of a child.
ICE said in a statement that the Boston Division of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) filed a warrant for Alvarez with the local sheriff’s office on March 14. A warrant is a request that authorities use to notify ICE of a person they believe is subject to deportation so that it can take that person into federal custody and deport him.
In this case, as in many “sanctuaries,” the prison terms were not respected and Alvarez was released on bail.
“On June 27, Plymouth Superior Court refused to accept ERO Boston’s immigration arrest warrant and released Alvarez on $500 bail,” said James Covington, spokesperson for ICE Boston ERO.
The Boston Globe reported that prosecutors had asked for bail of $25,000, but the judge set it at $500, contingent on him submitting to various conditions, including house arrest and other forms of supervision.
Brian A. Kelley, Alvarez’s attorney, told Fox News Digital that Alvarez was released after a three-part hearing that included a review of medical records, surveillance footage and witness testimony.
“The alleged victim was found to have no injuries. Video surveillance shows her entering the room and leaving eight minutes later, her clothing intact, and walking past two National Guard members without comment,” Kelley said, confirming that Alvarez was released on bail.
He also said that Alvarez’s bail conditions included house arrest and surrendering his passport, which he complied with. He also pointed to a Massachusetts court ruling that found no authority to detain a person based solely on an ICE detention.
“I am confident that all of Karen Read’s supporters will now find a new cause: supporting the innocence of Cory Alvarez,” Kelley added.
Alvarez arrived in June under the parole process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans (CHNV). The rule was first announced for Venezuelans in October 2022 and allowed a limited number of people to fly directly to the United States, provided they had not entered illegally, already had a sponsor in the United States and passed certain screenings.
In January 2023, the administration announced that the program would be expanded to include Haitians, Nicaraguans and Cubans, allowing up to 30,000 people per month to enter the United States. Migrants can use it to obtain work permits and two-year residency in the United States. This was announced along with an expansion of Title 42 deportations to include these nationalities.
The Department of Homeland Security has said the process, which it describes as a “safe and orderly way to enter the United States,” is a “key element” of the administration’s efforts to address high migration rates across the hemisphere. Republicans have accused the administration of abusing the parole process with the program.
According to official figures, the Biden administration has brought over 138,000 Haitians to the United States through the CHNV parole program since January 2023.
