On January 8, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported Kemar Hamilton, a Jamaican national who was convicted of homicide in New York. In 2012, Hamilton was arrested for the murder of Edgar McCalla, a 58-year-old Jamaican immigrant and father of seven. The incident occurred on February 19, 2009, when Hamilton shot McCalla during a robbery outside McCalla’s home in the Bronx before fleeing the scene.
Authorities initially struggled to solve the case after finding a prepaid cellphone dropped by the killer at the crime scene. The device did not yield an immediate DNA match and the investigation went cold.
The case progressed two years later when local law enforcement stopped Hamilton for a traffic violation and found a loaded firearm in his vehicle. After his arrest, investigators matched his DNA to that found on the cellphone left at the murder site.
“I commend local law enforcement for breaking this murder case and the prosecutors for securing a conviction, but the truth is, Kemar Hamilton should have never been in this country in the first place,” said ICE Deputy Director Charles Wall. “We’ve said it over and over: Enforcing immigration law protects Americans — and it protects our immigrant communities. This criminal crossed our border illegally, then went on to murder a father of seven from his own home nation.”
Hamilton entered the United States illegally in 2008 but was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents within days. He was released with instructions to appear at immigration proceedings, which was standard procedure at that time. Approximately one year after entering unlawfully, he killed McCalla.
While evading authorities in New York, immigration officials were processing removal orders against him. An immigration judge ordered his removal on December 23, 2009. A New York court sentenced him to more than ten years in prison for homicide. ICE Buffalo officers arrested Hamilton on October 6, 2025 upon his release from Wende Correctional Facility in Alden to ensure he would not be released into the community before being removed from the United States.
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