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July 25, 2025Buffalo, NY, United StatesEnforcement and Removal

ICE Buffalo arrests illegal alien with 9 US criminal convictions including assault, arson and robbery

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Buffalo arrested Wahota Allassane Ouattara upon his release from the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in Comstock July 23.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Buffalo arrested Wahota Allassane Ouattara upon his release from the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in Comstock July 23. The 38-year-old illegal alien from the Côte d'Ivoire has an extensive criminal history that includes nine convictions in the United States, including arson and assault.

Ouattara entered the United States as a nonimmigrant in New York City and violated the terms of his admission when he failed to depart by Oct. 7, 2016. ICE encountered him Oct. 25, 2024, after his most recent incarceration for arson and attempted robbery. ICE officers issued him a notice to appear and placed him into removal proceedings Jan. 8.

“This criminal alien not only violated our nation’s federal immigration laws, but he has repeatedly proven his complete disregard for New York State penal laws as well,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Buffalo Deputy Field Office Director Joseph Freden. “Our officers will continue to prioritize public safety by ensuring criminal aliens stay off of our streets while affecting their removal from the United States.”

Ouattara’s criminal convictions include the following:

  • Third-degree assault (two counts) from Feb. 9, 2022.
  • Second-degree aggravated harassment from Feb. 9, 2022.
  • Second-degree criminal trespass from Sept. 9, 2022.
  • Second-degree criminal trespass (two counts) from Jan. 27, 2023.
  • Third-degree assault from May 23, 2024.
  • Third-degree arson from July 25, 2024.
  • Attempted robbery from July 25, 2024.

Ouattara is currently detained in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings and removal from the United States.

Aliens placed in 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 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.

Learn more about ERO Buffalo’s mission to preserve public safety on X at @EROBuffalo.

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