ERO Boston arrests Mexican national convicted of 2 counts of vehicular manslaughter in Connecticut

HARTFORD, Conn. — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston apprehended a Mexican national who was convicted in Connecticut of two counts of vehicular manslaughter among other crimes. Deportation officers with ERO Boston’s Hartford field office arrested Israel Alejandro Gonzalez-Arcinega, a 40-year-old noncitizen and convicted felon on May 1 during a vehicle stop in Meriden.

“Israel Gonzalez was convicted of driving under the influence and killing two Connecticut children,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “His actions shattered a family. We cannot allow unlawfully present convicted felons to victimize the residents of our communities. ERO Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by apprehending and removing egregious offenders like Mr. Gonzalez from our New England neighborhoods.”

ERO Boston’s Hartford field office lodged an immigration detainer against Gonzalez with the Meriden Police Department Nov. 4, 2013, following Gonzalez’s involvement in a motor vehicle accident that resulted in two fatalities and other injuries.

On April 21, 2014, the Connecticut Superior Court in Meriden convicted Gonzalez of two counts of manslaughter, second degree-motor vehicle; three counts of assault second degree, motor vehicle; illegal operation of motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs; and evading responsibility-death/serious injury. In total, the state of Connecticut sentenced Gonzales to serve 12 years in prison followed by five years of probation.

On Sept. 26, 2014, ICE issued and served Gonzalez with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration judge.

On May 14, 2015, a DOJ immigration judge in Hartford ordered Gonzalez removed from the United States to Mexico.

The Connecticut Department of Corrections did not honor the ICE detainer and released Gonzalez from custody April 2 without notifying ERO Boston.

Deportation officers from ERO Boston’s Hartford field office apprehended Gonzalez May 1 during a vehicle stop in Meriden, and he will remain in ERO custody pending his removal from the United States.

As part of its mission to identify and arrest removable noncitizens, ERO lodges immigration detainers against noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity and taken into custody by state or local law enforcement. An immigration detainer is a request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to state or local law enforcement agencies to notify ICE as early as possible before a removable noncitizen is released from their custody. Detainers request that state or local law enforcement agencies maintain custody of the noncitizen for a period not to exceed 48 hours beyond the time the individual would otherwise be released, allowing ERO to assume custody for removal purposes in accordance with federal law.

Detainers are critical public safety tools because they focus enforcement resources on removable noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity. Detainers increase the safety of all parties involved — ERO personnel, law enforcement officials, removable noncitizens and the public — by allowing an arrest to be made in a secure and controlled custodial setting as opposed to at-large within the community. Because detainers result in the direct transfer of a noncitizen from state or local custody to ERO custody, they also minimize the potential that an individual will reoffend. Additionally, detainers conserve scarce government resources by allowing ERO to take criminal noncitizens into custody directly rather than expending resources locating these individuals at-large.

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 (EOIR). EOIR is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security 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.

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 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.

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