On May 19, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New York City apprehended Marlon Josuel Cruz Fernandez, an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic wanted for homicide in his home country. The arrest took place in New Rochelle without incident.
ICE officers from the Newburgh office collaborated with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Homeland Security Investigations to execute the arrest warrant. "This foreign fugitive mistakenly thought he could exploit our immigration laws to evade arrest in his home country," stated Judith Almodovar, acting Field Office Director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in New York City. She added that this case serves as a warning to other criminal aliens that collaboration with domestic and international law enforcement partners will ensure fugitives face justice in their home countries.
Cruz initially encountered U.S. Border Patrol on December 11, 2015, after illegally entering through Texas's Rio Grande Valley. He was served with a notice for violating the Immigration and Nationality Act and transferred to ICE custody. Although granted bond on February 1, 2016, which he posted shortly after, Cruz failed to attend his immigration proceedings on January 5, 2017. Consequently, an immigration judge ordered his removal from the U.S.
In Santo Domingo on February 2, 2018, authorities issued an arrest warrant for Cruz related to a homicide charge. This information reached ICE New York City on March 16 of this year.
The situation escalated when the New Rochelle Police Department arrested Cruz on May 17 for having improper plates and impounded his vehicle. Initially released on recognizance before recognizing him as an international fugitive wanted for homicide led them to notify ICE immediately.
Cruz is now detained by ICE awaiting deportation back to the Dominican Republic.
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