ICE removes Angolan human rights violator
BOSTON – A 47-year-old man with a violent past in his home country of Angola was removed last month by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Pedro Dombele, who had been living in the U.S. lawfully, was criminally arrested in Westborough, Mass. in April 2006 for assault and battery and later convicted. ERO officers working with state partners encountered Dombele while serving a sentence for the aforementioned charges in the Billerica House of Corrections. As an aggravated felon, Dombele was a priority case for removal, and was released from the prison into ERO Boston custody, where he was issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge. Dombele was removed to Angola April 22.
In testimony before the Executive Office for Immigration Review, Dombele claimed to serve as a captain with the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola. He also testified that innocent civilians were killed during military operations in which he had been engaged.
“There are countless hardworking individuals trying to legally immigrate to the United States, however our agency will not allow violent criminals to use the United States as a safe haven,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Sean Gallagher. “Despite having what appeared to be a clean record as he entered the United States, Dombele had blood on his hands, and intentionally masked this truth. This is yet another example of how our officers continue to uncover deception and protect the public.”
ERO coordinates the removal of criminals, foreign fugitives and others ordered deported. Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO assistant attachés for repatriation have assisted with the removal of 720 foreign fugitives from the United States who were sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. Last year alone, ERO removed 315,943 individuals from the United States, 98 percent of whom met one or more of ICE’s immigration enforcement priorities.
Since fiscal year 2004, ICE has arrested more than 296 individuals for human rights-related violations under various criminal and/or immigration statutes. During that same period, ICE obtained deportation orders and physically removed more than 740 known or suspected human rights violators from the United States. Currently, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations has more than 140 active investigations into suspected human rights violators and is pursuing more than 1,800 leads and removal cases involving suspected human rights violators from 97 different countries.
Over the last four years, ICE's Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center has issued more than 67,000 lookouts for individuals from more than 111 countries and stopped 161 human rights violators or war crime suspects from entering the United States.
Members of the public who have information about foreign nationals suspected of engaging in human rights abuses or war crimes are urged to contact ICE by calling the toll-free ICE tip line at 1-866-347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email HRV.ICE@ice.dhs.gov or complete ICE’s online tip form.
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