BOSTON, MA — Wisteguens Jean Quely Charles, a 25-year-old Haitian national with 17 criminal convictions, was apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Boston on January 22. Charles, a member of a violent Haitian street gang, has a long criminal history that includes multiple drug-related offenses, weapons violations, and assault charges.
“Mr. Charles is illegally present in the United States and has consistently broken our laws, causing significant harm to the residents of Massachusetts,” said Patricia H. Hyde, acting Field Office Director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). “ERO Boston will continue to work diligently to remove individuals who pose a threat to our communities.”
Charles initially entered the U.S. legally on July 13, 2013, in Miami, Florida, but violated the terms of his admission. Between August 2022 and August 2024, Charles was arrested, charged, and convicted for a series of serious crimes, including drug possession and distribution, assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying brass knuckles, and resisting arrest.
In April 2023, after one of his arrests, ICE ERO issued an immigration detainer against Charles while he was incarcerated at the Norfolk House of Correction in Massachusetts. However, the facility released him in October 2023 without honoring the detainer.
Charles was eventually apprehended on January 22, 2025, and is currently in ICE custody. He has been issued a Notice to Appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge, where his immigration status will be further assessed.