ICE arrests 3 Portuguese women who overstayed visas and are charged in 1-year-old Rhode Island boy’s death

Federal immigration authorities have arrested three Portuguese women living in the U.S. illegally who are also charged in connection with the death of a Rhode Island infant. 

Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested the women — ages 32, 25 and 22 — on Feb. 17 in Pawtucket. 

The trio were initially arrested on Feb. 11 by the Pawtucket Police Department on suspicion of the death of a 1-year-old boy, which allegedly occurred under their care. 

The women were charged with child endangerment, but posted bail following their arraignment and were released by the 6th Division District Court of Rhode Island. Pawtucket police also arrested the boy’s alleged 25-year-old father, who is being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston, Rhode Island.

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He is charged with manslaughter, three counts of second degree child abuse, and child endangerment. None of the suspects were identified.

“The alleged crimes of these unlawfully present individuals resulted in the death of an innocent child,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “Those who commit crimes against children must be held accountable. Unlawfully present foreign nationals posing a danger to our New England communities cannot expect to escape the consequences of their actions.”

Pawtucket police responded to a home for an emergency call and found the boy unresponsive with “significant bruising” on his face, ICE said. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital. 

One of the Portuguese women arrived in the U.S. in 1998 on a tourist visa, but overstayed for more than 25 years, ICE said. The other two arrived in the U.S. under a visa waiver program — one in 2016, and the other in March 2022. 

Both violated the visa and also remained in the country longer than allowed, authorities said. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE.