ERO Boston arrests Colombian national convicted locally of drug distribution

BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston apprehended a 31-year-old Colombian national convicted of distributing drugs in Massachusetts. Deportation officers with ERO Boston arrested the previously removed Colombian noncitizen June 13 in Shirley.

“This Colombian noncitizen not only completely ignored U.S. immigration law by reentering our country after having been removed. He distributed poison throughout our Massachusetts neighborhoods,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “He represented a threat to our community, and we could not allow that to persist. ERO Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing egregious noncitizen offenders from New England.”

U.S. Border Patrol arrested the Colombian national Feb. 8, 2011, after he unlawfully entered the United States near Brownsville, Texas. Officials served him a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge and turned him over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

ERO Harlingen released the Colombian noncitizen on his own recognizance March 17, 2011.

On January 3, 2012, The Department of Justice immigration judge ordered the Colombian noncitizen removed from the United States to Colombia.

Boston Police arrested him Aug. 2, 2019, for trafficking cocaine. Later that day, ERO Boston lodged an immigration detainer against him.

The Chelsea District Court arraigned the Colombian noncitizen Aug. 5, 2019, on charges of forgery and trafficking cocaine. The Chelsea District Court dismissed the case on June 28, 2023, after the Suffolk Superior Court indicted the Colombian national.

Deportation officers from ERO Boston arrested the noncitizen Oct. 21, 2019, at Nashua Street Jail after Suffolk County released him from state custody. ERO removed him from the United States to Colombia Nov. 25, 2019.

The Colombian noncitizen unlawfully reentered the United States on an unknown date at an unknown location, and without being inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration official.

Boston police arrested the Colombian national on a trafficking cocaine warrant. ERO Boston encountered him and lodged an immigration detainer against him March 29, 2023.

On October 12, 2023, the Suffolk County Superior Court sentenced him to one year and six months in prison for possession to distribute, Class B.

ERO Boston served the noncitizen with a notice of intent to reinstate a prior order of removal Oct. 13, 2023.

Deportation officers from ERO Boston arrested him June 13, 2024, at the Massachusetts Department of Corrections in Shirley after he completed his criminal sentence.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts arraigned him July 2 on the charge of unlawful reentry of a deported noncitizen. The Colombian national remains in federal custody.

ERO is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that protects the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of our communities and the integrity of our immigration laws.

Entering the United States without authorization is a violation of federal law, and those who do so many be subject to administrative arrest, and in some cases, criminal prosecution.

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. The Executive Office for Immigration Review is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal.

Members of the public with information regarding noncitizen offenders can report crimes or suspicious activity by dialing the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

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.

Learn more about ERO Boston’s mission to increase public safety in our New England communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROBoston.

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