ICE deports Polish fugitive wanted for manslaughter

CHICAGO – A Polish national, who is wanted in his home country for manslaughter, was deported and turned over to Polish law enforcement officials Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Dariusz Wietocha, 43, was deported via commercial flight Wednesday and arrived Sept. 20 in Warsaw, Poland.

An arrest warrant was issued for Wietocha Aug. 30, 2004, by the Bialystok Regional Court in Poland in connection with a fatal traffic accident that killed one person and injured a second victim. According to the warrant, on Dec. 28, 1990, Wietocha was driving in Bialystok when he violated traffic regulations and hit two pedestrians, killing one. Wietocha then fled the scene of the accident.

Wietocha entered the United States by illegally crossing the Mexican border in 1991. He has an extensive criminal history in the United States, including a felony conviction in 2004 in the Northern District of Illinois for possessing Ecstasy with the intent to distribute.

In June ERO received information that Wietocha might be living in the Chicago area and that he was wanted for the crime of manslaughter in Poland. On July 17, ERO Fugitive Operations Unit officers arrested Wietocha near his Schaumburg residence and took him into ICE custody.

On July 31, Wietocha was issued an administrative removal order by federal immigration officials in Chicago. He remained in ICE custody until his removal yesterday.

"This individual snuck across the Mexican border to escape justice in Poland for the crimes he committed there," said Ricardo Wong, ERO Chicago field office director. "On a daily basis, ICE protects public safety by arresting and removing international fugitives who pose a threat to our communities."

ERO is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, such as those charged with or convicted of homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and threats to national security. ERO also prioritizes the arrest and removal of those who game the immigration system including immigration fugitives or those criminal aliens who have been previously deported and illegally re-entered the country.