ERO New York City arrests previously removed Colombian citizen, suspected member of a transnational organized criminal group

NEW YORK — On March 20, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New York City arrested an unlawfully present citizen of Colombia and suspected member of a transnational organized criminal enterprise known as a South American Theft Group.

ERO New York City’s Newburgh suboffice’s Fugitive Operations Team, members of the U.S. Marshals Service’s New Jersey-New York Regional Fugitive Task Force, and the Eastchester Town Police Department arrested the noncitizen in Eastchester. He is the subject of a criminal arrest warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for illegal reentry. ERO New York City presented the noncitizen to a federal magistrate judge who remanded him to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial.

“ERO’s targeted enforcement of criminal noncitizens and those who repeatedly undermine the integrity of our immigration system is critical to ensuring the public safety of the New York City metropolitan area,” said ERO New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo. “Members of transnational criminal organizations are a direct threat to our communities, so we will utilize all of our resources to locate and apprehend these noncitizens and initiate removal proceedings.”

On Nov. 21, 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol agents at or near Laredo, Texas, encountered the noncitizen and processed him as an expedited removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act. On Nov. 28, 2020, ERO Air Operations removed the noncitizen via an ICE Air flight from the United States to Colombia.

On an unknown date and at an unknown place, the Colombian citizen unlawfully reentered the United States without inspection, admission or parole by an immigration official.

On Aug. 24, 2023, the Eastchester Town Police Department arrested the noncitizen for two counts of attempted burglary in the second degree: illegal entry of a dwelling.

On Feb. 1, 2024, ERO New York City’s Newburgh Fugitive Operations Team received information identifying the noncitizen as a known or suspected member of a transnational organized criminal enterprise.

A U.S. magistrate judge for the Southern District of New York issued an arrest warrant for the noncitizen March 18 for illegal reentry following a complaint from ERO New York City’s Newburgh suboffice.

On March 20, the Eastchester Town Police Department arrested the noncitizen for falsifying business records in the first degree because he possessed a New York State driver’s license in another person’s name.

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 (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.

As one of ICE’s three operational directorates, ERO 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 crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ERO New York City’s mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ERONewYork.

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