ERO Baltimore arrests foreign fugitive convicted of aggravated homicide in Colombia

BALTIMORE – Deportation officers from Enforcement and Removal Operations Baltimore apprehended an unlawfully present Colombian fugitive convicted of aggravated homicide in his home country. Deportation officers from ERO Baltimore’s Fugitive Operations Team arrested the 35-year-old noncitizen June 20 at his residence in Lanham, Maryland.

“This fugitive is wanted by Colombian authorities to serve his sentence for an aggravated homicide conviction in his home county,” said ERO Baltimore Field Office Director Matthew Elliston. “Instead of serving his prison sentence, he attempted to flee justice and hide out in Maryland. The women and men of ERO Baltimore will not allow our Maryland communities to become safe havens for the world’s criminals. We will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing egregious noncitizen offenders from our neighborhoods.”

Colombian authorities arrested the noncitizen Sept. 9, 2011, and charged him with attempted aggravated homicide.

A Colombian court convicted the noncitizen May 5, 2017, of aggravated homicide and sentenced him to seventeen years and eight months in prison.

U.S. Border Patrol arrested the Colombian fugitive June 22, 2022, after he unlawfully entered the United States near San Luis, Arizona. USBP served him a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge.

Later that day, USBP transferred the Colombian fugitive to the custody of ERO Phoenix, who enrolled him into the Alternatives to Detention program and released him from custody.

ERO Baltimore terminated the Colombian noncitizen from ATD July 6, 2022, after he failed to report as scheduled.

On December 17, 2023, the Colombian noncitizen departed the United States for Colombia.

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

ERO Baltimore learned of the Colombian fugitive’s conviction and presence in Laurel, Maryland June 12.

Colombian authorities are seeking custody of the fugitive to serve a 17-year, eight-month prison sentence following his conviction for aggravated homicide.

Deportation officers from ERO Baltimore’s Fugitive Operations Team arrested the Colombian fugitive June 20 at his residence in Laurel, Maryland. He remains in ERO custody.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Alternative to Detention program, which began in 2004, uses technology and case management to ensure noncitizen compliance with release conditions, court hearings, and final orders of removal. The program allows ICE to exercise increased supervision over a subset of those on ICE’s docket, using several different monitoring technologies. ATD effectively increases court appearance rates, compliance with release conditions, and helps the participants meet their basic needs and understand their immigration obligations.

ATD – ISAP is not a form of custody as defined under 8 C.F.R. § 1236.1(d)(1) as it does not entail physical restraint or confinement within a given space. Some ATD – ISAP participants, however, may be assigned a limited curfew.

Those who are released from custody and enrolled in ATD must comply with the terms and conditions of their release, including appearances at all scheduled court hearings and compliance with ATD requirements. Depending on the circumstances of the case, failure to comply may result in an immigration judge issuing a final order in absentia and may render a noncitizen a priority for arrest and removal by ICE. As with any noncitizen in the United States without lawful status, ICE officers make enforcement decisions on a case-by-case basis to focus on the greatest threats to homeland security in a professional and responsible manner informed by their experience as law enforcement officers.

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. EOIR is a separate entity from DHS and ICE. 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 can report crimes or suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the ICE online tip form.

As one of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s three operational directorates, Enforcement and Removal Operations 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 Baltimore’s mission to increase public safety in our Maryland communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROBaltimore.