Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston announced the recent arrest of a Jamaican citizen under suspicion of multiple criminal charges, including drug-related offenses, firearms violations and vehicle-related crimes.
The 23-year-old Jamaican national was detained May 18, according to a May 24 Immigration and Customs Enforcement news release. The Jamaican national initially entered the U.S. on a temporary tourist visa. However, they failed to leave the country after the visa's expiration date.
“Our immigration system is not meant to provide a pathway for those seeking to engage in criminal activity. ERO Boston will apprehend and seek to remove unlawfully present individuals who violate local narcotics and firearms laws. The public safety of our communities is ERO Boston’s mission,” ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons said in the release.
The arrest followed an investigation by the Boston Police Department, which took place in May 2019, the release reported. During that time, the suspect was apprehended on suspicion of various offenses, including conspiracy to violate the Controlled Substance Act, possession of illegal drugs with intent to distribute, possession of a weapon and ammunition, carrying a weapon without a permit, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card and possession of a weapon with a tampered serial number.
Federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are run by the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review, provide noncitizens who have been put into removal proceedings with their constitutional right to a fair trial, according to the release. Separate from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE, EOIR is a division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The merits of each case are considered by immigration judges in these courts when deciding whether a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or qualifies for specific types of relief from removal, the release said. ICE officials may execute a removal once a noncitizen is the subject of a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge or through another legal process.
ERO agents use their expertise as law enforcement officials to make case-by-case enforcement judgments that are professional, responsible and best guard against the biggest threats to the homeland and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, according to the release.
ERO reportedly detained 46,396 noncitizens with criminal backgrounds for the fiscal year 2022, the release said. This group included 198,498 charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses, 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses, 5,554 weapon offenses, 1,501 homicide-related offenses and 1,114 kidnapping offenses.
