A Brazilian national was arrested by local and Enforcement and Removal Operations officials Feb. 21 in Massachusetts hiding from a murder charge.
The man was "wanted on an active criminal warrant" for aggravated homicide in Brazil, and, if convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison according to a Feb. 23 news release.
"This fugitive has been accused of a heinous crime in his native country of Brazil and attempted to evade justice by hiding in Everett, Mass.," ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons said in the news release. "The men and women of ERO Boston ensure foreign fugitives will not find refuge from their alleged crimes here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I am proud of my officers and the work that they do every day to provide for the safety and security of others in our communities."
He was initially apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol in California for entering the country illegally and was released pending removal proceedings, but a warrant for his arrested was subsequently issued by a Brazilian court, the release reported. ERO Boston was alerted and the fugative was arrested.
He will remain in ICE custody pending a hearing with U.S. Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review, according to the release.
ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories in fiscal year 2022, who together had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 1,501 homicide-related offenses, the release reported. ERO's mandate is to uphold U.S. immigration law at, within and beyond the country's borders.
ERO targets public safety threats such as convicted criminal noncitizens and gang members who have violated U.S. immigration laws, including those who illegally re-enter the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges, according to the release.
ERO deportation officers assigned to Interpol target foreign fugitives for crimes committed abroad but at large in the U.S. ERO manages all aspects of the immigration enforcement process, including identification and arrest, detention, bond management, supervised release, transportation and removal, the release reported. In addition, ERO repatriates noncitizens ordered removed from the U.S. to more than 150 countries worldwide.
