Cesar Polanco, a 59-year-old Dominican man, was recently apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Massachusetts. Polanco, who had been paroled on December 4, had previously been convicted of the second-degree murder of his pregnant wife, Judith Guevara. The arrest came as part of the initial wave of a nationwide crackdown on illegal immigrants by the Trump administration.
Polanco was convicted for the brutal murder of his 25-year-old wife, who was a month pregnant at the time, during a domestic dispute in 2006. The incident, which occurred in their Lawrence home, was witnessed by Guevara’s 5-year-old son. Guevara also had a 16-month-old daughter with Polanco.
The parole board, in its report, noted that the son had witnessed Polanco’s violent attack on his mother. Despite this, the board approved Polanco’s release after he had served 17 years of his life sentence. The board cited Polanco’s expression of remorse and his voluntary confession to the police following the crime as reasons for his parole.
Polanco was released on a “home plan,” but was immediately taken into custody by ICE agents before he could return to society. His future, now in the hands of immigration officials, remains uncertain.
The Harvard Law School’s Prison Legal Assistance Project (PLAP) played a significant role in securing Polanco’s parole. The organization provides legal assistance to individuals serving life sentences for second-degree murders. This was Polanco’s second attempt at parole, having been denied the first time.
A supervising attorney for the PLAP program defended the decision to parole Polanco, stating that the parole board had “responsibly discharged” its duties. The attorney added that the board had fairly considered Polanco’s petition, taking into account public safety.
PLAP also expressed its expectation that ICE would fulfill its responsibilities and deport Polanco to the Dominican Republic. ICE, however, did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.
Polanco’s arrest comes amid the Trump administration’s execution of a campaign promise to carry out widespread arrests and deportations of illegal immigrants. The crackdown has particularly targeted sanctuary cities across the country.