ERO New York City arrests Turkish citizen convicted of sexual offenses against a child

NEW YORK — On Nov. 15, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New York City arrested a citizen of Turkey convicted of acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 years old in full satisfaction of the following criminal charges: criminal sexual act in the first degree of a victim less than 11 years old; and sexual abuse in the first degree: sexual contact with an individual less than 11 years old. He was convicted on Aug. 9, by the Suffolk County First District Court.

The noncitizen was also convicted by the Suffolk County Superior Court of disorderly conduct, on Jan. 10, 2012 and of third-degree assault: intent to cause physical injury with weapon/instrument, Feb. 17, 2015.

Long Island Fugitive Operations officers arrested the 31-year-old noncitizen without incident in Yaphank, New York, pursuant to an I-200 Warrant of Arrest. He will remain in custody without bond pending removal proceedings.

“Crimes against children are abhorrent and will not be tolerated by this office,” said Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo. “We will use all of our resources to relentlessly pursue these noncitizens and remove them from the United States.”

The Turkish citizen entered the United States, July 11, 2002, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, as a B2 nonimmigrant visitor for pleasure and violated the terms of his admission.

On May 19, 2017, the noncitizen filed an application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. On Aug. 2, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) denied this application. On July 23, 2019, he filed an I-589 Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal with USCIS. USCIS denied the I-589 on July 23, 2019. On July 29, 2019, USCIS served the noncitizen with an I-862 Notice to Appear, charging him as removable under Section 237(a)(1)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act - Any alien who is present in the United States in violation of this act or any other law of the United States, or whose nonimmigrant visa… has been revoked under section 221(i) is deportable. 

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 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE). Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ERO officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.

ERO is a directorate of ICE and 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 crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing ICE’s online tip form.

Learn more about ERO New York’s mission to preserve public safety on Twitter @ERONewYork.

Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.gov)