ICE returns fugitive wanted for murder in the Bahamas

MIAMI — A Bahamian national wanted by law enforcement authorities in his native country for murder was escorted out of the United States Monday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Rumeal Gray, 21, departed Miami International Airport Monday, and ERO officers turned him over to authorities in Nassau, Bahamas, later that morning. Gray was in an altercation where he allegedly killed a man in February 2013 by stabbing him in the neck. On Jan. 2, U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered and arrested Gray. They subsequently transferred him to ERO custody.

"Returning this fugitive to the Bahamas is a prime example of how ICE works closely with our international law enforcement partners to identify, locate and deport aliens who are wanted in their home countries for allegedly committing crimes," said Marc J. Moore, field office director for ERO Miami. "ERO prioritizes the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens. As a result, our communities are safer and more secure."

ERO Miami coordinated the removal of Gray with the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) attaché office in Nassau, Bahamas.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 720 foreign fugitives from the United States who were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with HSI's Office of International Affairs, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.