ERO Buffalo arrests unlawfully present Brazilian national with a final order of removal

BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Buffalo arrested Christopher Alexsandro Dos Santos on Nov. 20. Dos Santos is a 28-year-old citizen and national of Brazil subject to a final order of removal. An immigration judge in Buffalo ordered him removed in absentia from the United States to Brazil on Nov. 8, 2023. 

ERO Officers from the Albany sub-office arrested Dos Santos without incident in Greenfield Center, New York. He is currently in ICE custody.

U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered Dos Santos April 28, 2023, and issued him a notice to appear after he unlawfully entered the U.S. in Eagle Pass, Texas. Dos Santos was released on his own recognizance due to lack of bed space. 

The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office arrested Dos Santos Nov. 1 for second degree strangulation: obstructing breath/blood circulation causing physical injury; endangering the welfare of a child; and fourth degree criminal mischief: disable equipment to prevent emergency call to protect from physical harm. ERO Buffalo was unable to lodge an immigration detainer because Dos Santos was released from custody on a desk appearance ticket. Dos Santos is also the subject of open investigations in Brazil pertaining to homicide, domestic violence and embezzlement.

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 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. 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.

ERO is one of ICE’s three operational directorates and 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 Buffalo’s mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROBuffalo.

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