ERO Newark arrests Turkish citizen wanted in Türkiye for child sexual abuse conviction
Newark, N.J. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Newark arrested a Turkish citizen Sept. 8 who procured a nonimmigrant visa to enter the United States by fraud by failing to disclose a child sexual abuse conviction in Türkiye.
“The long arm of international law and cooperation between international law enforcement agencies made it possible to remove this dangerous individual from the community,” said ERO Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris. “I’m proud of the work our officers did in locating and arresting this individual. I also want to thank various agencies within our government, as well as ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor in Newark, New Jersey, for their assistance in this case.”
The Turkish citizen was temporarily admitted into the United States in June 2019 as a visitor. He was later granted nonimmigrant student status in January 2020 while in the United States. The individual had been sentenced May 3, 2019, under the Turkish Penal Code to three years and nine months in prison and fled to the United States without revealing his child sexual abuse conviction to U.S. authorities.
ERO Newark arrested him Sept. 8, 2023, in Carlstadt, served him a notice to appear and detained him without bond in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the 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 ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ICE officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.
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.
As one of ICE’s three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.
Members of the public can report crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.
Learn more about ERO Newark’s mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ERONewark.
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