Massachusetts State Police have charged an 18-year-old Haitian national with sexual assault of a minor, immigration officials announced Monday.

Authorities arrested Akim Mark Desire last Wednesday in Attleboro on suspicion of sexual assault of a child under the age of 14, police said. statement From U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Authorities say a 10-year-old boy accompanied by his mother to the Mansfield Police Department to report the incident at a neighbor's home. WHDH Reported. (Related article: Two illegal immigrants indicted for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl)

An 18-year-old Haitian national was arrested in Mansfield on suspicion of sexual assault of a minor and has been charged and is scheduled to appear before an immigration judge, authorities said.https://t.co/cQXldfEf6b

— 7News Boston WHDH (@7News) September 4, 2024

After investigators tracked down Desiree, they questioned him using a Haitian Creole interpreter, according to WHDH.

Authorities said Desire denied any wrongdoing and said, “I don't speak English, so how am I supposed to talk to him?”

Immigration officials said in a statement that the suspect entered the United States legally in June 2023 but violated the conditions of his entry.

Mansfield Police Chief Ronald Theron said the violation had to do with not checking in “upon crossing the border,” WHDH reported.

According to the statement, Desire, who was arraigned in Attleboro on Thursday, was arrested by the Deportation Enforcement Office (ERO) in Boston on Friday and summoned to appear in immigration court.

“We cannot tolerate such potentially serious threats to the welfare of children in our communities,” said ERO Director Todd Lyons. “Boston Enforcement and Removal Operations will continue to prioritize public safety by apprehending and removing violent criminal aliens from our New England neighborhoods.”

Desire's arrest comes at a time when Haitian immigration has become a major issue for the state government.

Last month, Gov. Maura Healey introduced measures aimed at reducing the number of migrants living in shelters. NBC10 Some of these measures reportedly led police to stop migrants from sleeping outside public transport stations.

Authorities are currently holding Desiree at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility, according to WHDH.