Federal immigration agents appear to have ramped up their presence in Fall River, announcing five arrests in recent weeks. Previously, ICE's Boston field office had not announced a Fall River arrest since April.
ICE offices do not announce all their arrests. All five people arrested locally have faced at least misdemeanor charges in Fall River District Court at some point.
Before President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, most ICE detainees were convicted criminals. That flipped soon after: as of July 11, 2026, about 37% of ICE detainees had no criminal record while about 32% had pending criminal charges.
ICE boosted their presence in Massachusetts during a May push to send out more officers nationwide, according to federal documents. In July, the agency announced it was looking for additional parking spaces around ICE offices around the country, including 249 spots in Boston.
On Aug. 5, Gov. Maura Healey signed a law banning federal immigration agents from making civil arrests in schools, hospitals and courthouses in the state.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment about their activities in Fall River.
Working overtime: How much do Fall River police spend?
According to ICE, all five men who were arrested were not living in the country legally.
On Aug. 5, ICE announced it had arrested Brazilian immigrant Fabiano Silvino Dos Santos on Aug. 1 in Fall River. In 2024, Dos Santos faced one felony charge of assault and battery on a child under 14 with a dangerous weapon. The case was dismissed by a judge after prosecutors did not pursue it.
On Aug. 4, ICE announced it had arrested 20-year-old Pierre Andy Jean-Louis, who is from Haiti, during a July 18 vehicle stop in Fall River.
In June, Jean-Louis had been charged in Fall River District Court with two felony counts of possessing child pornography, a felony count of indecent assault and battery and a felony county of extortion by threat of injury.
According to ICE's announcement, Jean-Louis had entered the country in Arizona on Sept. 24, 2024, and was granted a two-year parole by Customs and Border Protection.
During the surge in border crossings during the Biden administration, parole was often granted for humanitarian reasons to migrants who did not have the necessary legal status to enter the country but had made an appointment to obtain it. A separate policy for Haitians known as Temporary Protected Status created in response to the country's enduring humanitarian crisis, was recently ended by the Trump administration.
Jean-Louis is still scheduled to appear in Fall River District Court for a probable cause hearing on Aug. 7. Separately, ICE's announcement said he will appear before an immigration judge in the Justice Department and "receive full due process."
On Aug. 3, ICE announced it had arrested Miguel Angel Bermol-Hermitano, who is from Mexico, "during targeted operations" in Fall River.
According to ICE, Bermol-Hermitano had been "previously removed." Reentering the country after deportation is a federal crime carrying a maximum prison sentence of two years, or up to 10 if the defendant was convicted of a felony before being deported.
According to ICE, Bermol-Hermitano's criminal history includes "arrests for hit and run with property damage, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and receiving stolen property." The agency did not clarify whether those arrests resulted in convictions or if they occurred before Bermol-Hermitano's last deportation.
A search of Bermol-Hermitano's Massachusetts court records yields only two misdemeanors for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, dated 2003 and 2005, which were both dismissed.
On July 31, ICE announced it had arrested Haitian immigrant Daniel Narcisse in Fall River on July 16. In May, Narcisse had been charged with misdemeanors for a DUI, negligent driving and endangering two children while driving under the influence.
On July 22, ICE announced it had arrested Ecuadorian immigrant Alex Morocho Lalvay in Fall River. Morocho Lalvay faces one misdemeanor charge of assault and battery on a family member and one misdemeanor violation of an abuse prevention order, both from 2025.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: ICE ramps up operations in Fall River. 5 arrests in past month