LAWRENCE, Mass. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, in coordination with the DEA and ATF, arrested a 64-year-old Ecuadoran national in Lawrence on April 1, charging him with over 20 sex crimes involving a minor, ICE Boston announced Wednesday.
Key Points
- Gilberto Avila-Jara, 64, arrested in Lawrence for more than 20 child sex offenses
- Previously deported in 1996, Avila reentered the U.S. illegally at an unknown time and place
- ICE detainer in 2021 was not honored, allowing Avila to be released on bail
Reentry after prior removal
Gilberto Avila-Jara originally entered the U.S. illegally in February 1996 and was apprehended by Immigration and Naturalization Service officers weeks later at Los Angeles International Airport. A federal immigration judge ordered his removal on March 11, 1996, and he was deported to Ecuador that July. Authorities say Avila subsequently reentered the U.S. unlawfully, though the time and location remain unknown.
According to ICE, Avila was arraigned in Lawrence District Court on December 18, 2020, on charges including indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, rape of a child with force, and aggravated statutory rape of a child. ICE filed a detainer that same day, but the local court released Avila on bail three months later, on March 17, 2021.
Further charges, federal apprehension
On April 22, 2021, the Essex County Superior Court arraigned Avila on additional charges, including eight counts of rape of a child with force and eight counts of aggravated statutory rape. Despite the serious nature of the allegations, he remained at large until his recent arrest.
Federal agents from ICE Boston, DEA New England, and ATF Boston coordinated the April 1 arrest. Avila was taken into custody without incident.
ICE cites community threat
“There are no appropriate words to describe the amount of damage Gilberto Avila-Jara has allegedly done to our Massachusetts community,” said ICE ERO Boston Acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. “Children are the most precious and most vulnerable members of our communities, and we will do everything in our power to protect them from illegal sex offenders.”
ICE confirmed that removal proceedings are again underway for Avila, in addition to the pending criminal charges.
