Massachusetts day care shut down after illegal alien convicted of child rape found to be living there

A day care facility on Cape Cod has now been closed by authorities after it was discovered that a convicted child rapist, who was in the United States illegally, had been living there with the owner, whom he was in a relationship with.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers had arrested 36-year-old Andre Tiago Lucas, who is originally from Brazil, in October 2024. Lucas fled South America and went to the sanctuary state after being convicted in 2016 of rape of a vulnerable person and sentenced to serve nine years and four months’ incarceration. The victim was 13 years old at the time.

Nunes called police on a Boston 25 News crew when they attempted to question her.

“This Brazilian fugitive has been convicted of a heinous crime in his native country. Rather than face the consequences for his actions, he chose to flee, falsely believing he could evade justice in Massachusetts,” acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde of ERO Boston said after Lucas’ arrest. “ERO Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing egregious noncitizen offenders.”

WFXT-TV reports that Lucas was living at the Hyannis day care with Franciele Nunes. Lucas reportedly has two children with Nunes, who let her license from the state Department of Early Education and Care expire in March.

Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis told WFXT that the new information is shocking and shows change is needed.

“The idea that someone has been documented, that a Brazilian national fled the country because they were convicted for rape of a 13-year-old and could come to Massachusetts and not only disappear into the fabric of Massachusetts, but actually be living in a home that was a day care center for young people. That’s terrifying,” Evangelidis said.

Massachusetts’ Department of Early Education and Care inspected the day care five times, but the agency maintains it did not find evidence of Lucas living there. The EEC does conduct background checks of all individuals 15 or older who are residing in or regularly visiting home day cares, but those checks are limited to information available within the United States, not internationally.

Nunes called police on a WFXT news crew when they attempted to question her.

Massachusetts has proudly declared itself to be a sanctuary for illegal aliens, which has resulted in criminals being let go from local police custody before federal immigration authorities can pick them up to be removed from the country.

“Biden’s open borders let this filth live freely for years. President Trump’s policies will hunt down and deport every last predator,” the White House stated on X in response to the horrific news.

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