ICE officials have removed Daouda Begnon II Kone, a convicted coup leader from Burkina Faso, from the United States. Kone was arrested on June 9, 2025, by ICE Detroit agents and officers in Cincinnati. His removal to Burkina Faso took place on August 5 following a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge.
During court proceedings, it was determined that Kone was not eligible for immigration benefits due to his involvement in the persecution of others during the September 16, 2015 coup d’etat in Burkina Faso. At that time, he served as a member of the Presidential Security Regiment under President Blaise Compaore’s regime.
Kone had been convicted in Burkina Faso on charges including complicity in an attack on state security, voluntary assault and battery, and murder. He received a sentence of seven years in prison, with five years suspended.
“The removal of Kone underscores the important work of ICE HSI agents in investigating those who apply for immigration benefits under false pretenses,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey. “You cannot come to the U.S. and try to hide war crimes.”
“The dedicated officers of ERO Detroit are committed to removing this public safety threat and others like him from our communities across Michigan and Ohio,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Detroit acting Field Office Director Kevin Raycraft. “I encourage members of the public to report additional human rights violators to the ICE tipline at 866-DHS-2-ICE.”
The investigation involved HSI New York and support from the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC), as well as significant assistance from HSI and ERO Detroit’s Cincinnati sub-office.
The HRVWCC was created in 2009 to help identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers present in the United States. The center focuses on individuals suspected or known to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation or child soldier recruitment. According to ICE data https://www.ice.gov/features/human-rights-violators, there are currently more than 180 ongoing investigations into suspected human rights violators; over 1,945 leads or removal cases involving suspects from 95 countries are being pursued; since its inception it has issued over 79,000 lookouts for potential perpetrators; and it has prevented more than 390 suspects from entering the country.
Anyone with information about possible former human rights violators living in the United States is encouraged to contact law enforcement through the ICE tip line at 866-DHS-2-ICE or by emailing HRV.ICE@ice.dhs.gov.
