ERO Boston arrests fugitive in Connecticut wanted for murder in Brazil
BOSTON — Officers from Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston’s Hartford, Connecticut, office arrested an unlawfully present fugitive who is wanted for murder in Brazil. Officers arrested him in Waterbury, Connecticut, on Aug. 7.
The 28-year-old Brazilian citizen unlawfully entered the United States some time prior to August 2023. In March 2023, a criminal court in the city of Tarumirim, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, began actively seeking custody of the fugitive on the charge of aggravated murder, a crime he is alleged to have committed in January 2017.
Officers with ERO Boston apprehended the wanted fugitive in Waterbury, Connecticut, taking him into custody without incident. He will remain in ICE custody pending a hearing before a federal immigration judge.
“Foreign murder suspects will not be allowed to use our immigration system to evade justice in their native countries,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons. "I’m very proud of the excellent work of our officers for their work in safely apprehending this dangerous fugitive. ERO Boston continues our strong commitment to apprehending and removing criminal fugitives that pose a very real threat to the safety of our communities.”
Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal. Once a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge or other lawful means, ICE officers may carry out the removal.
ERO officers make enforcement decisions on a case-by-case basis in a professional and responsible manner, informed by their experience as law enforcement officials and in a way that best protects against the greatest threats to the homeland and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws.
In fiscal year 2022, ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories. This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 kidnapping offenses.
For more news and information on how the ERO Boston field office carries out its immigration enforcement mission, follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROBoston.
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